THE LIFE 



REV. JOHN W. BE LA FLECHERE : 



COMPILED FROM THE 



NARRATIVE OE REV. MR. WESLEY; 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES OF REV. MR. GILPIN; 



HIS OWN LETTERS, 



OTHER AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS, 



MANY OF WHICH WERE SEVEE BEFORE PUBLISHED. 



BY JOSEBH BENSON. 



NEW YORK : 

CARLTON & LANAHAN, 

CINCINNATI : 
HITCHCOCK & WALDEN, 

r .« r ct ? 



JUL 20 192^ 

Ammh Untvenitjf 



PREFACE TO LIFE OF FLETCHER. 



It has long been the desire of many of Mr. Fletcher's 
friends, to see a more full and complete account of that 
extraordinary man, than any that had appeared. Mr. 
Wesley's Narrative of his life was drawn up in great 
haste, and in the midst of so many important labours and 
concerns of another kind, that it is not at all surprising 
it should contain some small mistakes, and in other re- 
spects, should be imperfect. Mrs. Fletcher never in- 
tended to write his Life, but only to give an account of 
his death, with a few particulars of his character. The 
Rev. Mr. Gilpin's Biographical Notes, annexed to his 
translation of Mr. Fletcher Portrait of Saint Paul, are 
very excellent, and very accurate, as far as they go. 
But neither did Mr. Gilpin intend to write his Life, but 
simply to give some more traits of his character, and add 
a few anecdotes concerning him, which had been omitted 
by Mr. Wesley and Mrs. Fletcher. Add to this, that 
Mr. Gilpin's Notes are scattered through that work 
without any order: and, however useful, as detached 
pieces, do not, in any respect, furnish the reader with a 
regular and connected history of that great and good 
man. In consideration of these things, it has been 
judged, by his friends, to be a debt due to his- memory, 
and to the Christian world, to compile from the whole, 
and from such other documents as might be collected, 
such an authentic and properly arranged narrative of his 
life and death, as might be at once clear and sufficiently 
full, comprising every article of importance. Mrs. 
Fletcher, knowing that I had been particularly intimate 
with Mr. Fletcher from the year 1768, till his death, and 
that we had been in the constant habit of corresponding, 
earnestly desired I would undertake this work. And our 
general conference, held atLeeds in the year 1801, having 
joined with her in the same request, I have, at length, 
complied, and am not without hope, that the interests 
of pure and vital Christianity will be promoted by it. 



4 



PREFACE TO LIFE OF FLETCHER. 



This narrative includes the whole of what is material in 
the forementioned accounts, digested in regular order, 
together with much new matter, taken chiefly from Mr. 
Fletcher's own letters to myself, and some other friends, 
especially to the Rev. Mr. Perronet, late of Shoreham, 
and some members of his family. I have found it to be 
peculiarly useful to myself to be employed about this 
work : and I pray God that every reader may obtain 
similar, and even greater benefit from it, and be induced 
to follow him as fully as he followed Christ. 

Joseph Benson* 

London, October 25, 1804. 



PREFACE TO LIFE OF FLETCHER. 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 



The editor is aware that he must chiefly ascribe it to 
the high esteem entertained by the public in general, and 
by the members of the Methodist societies in particular^ 
for the character of the late Rev. Mr. Fletcher, and the 
great veneration in which his memory is held by them, 
that the former impression of this work has had so rapid 
a sale, and that a second edition is so soon called for. 
He is, however, happy to find, by the testimonies he has 
received from different quarters, that the manner in 
which he has been enabled to execute his office of com- 
piler, has been highly satisfactory to Mr. Fletcher's 
friends, and to the readers of the publication in general. 

It is true, the editors of a periodical work, termed the 
"Christian Observer," have represented it as an im- 
perfection in its mode of compilation, that he did not 
" weave the whole of his materials into a completely 
new work." But this, he must observe, was not the task 
assigned him ; nor would he, if desired, have consented 
to undertake it, well knowing, both that it would 
require more time than he could have spared from his 
other, not less important employments, and that the work 
would gain nothing thereby in point of real usefulness. 
For he was well persuaded that he could not express 
the same things in his own words so well as the Rev. 
Messrs. Wesley and Gilpin had expressed them, nor 
clothe the materials furnished by these truly pious and 
learned writers in more pure, elegant, and forcible lan- 
guage, than they had used. He knew, therefore, that 
to have pursued the plan the conductors of that miscel- 
lany have suggested, would not have rendered the work 
more interesting, or more instructive to the reader, or 
in any respect better calculated to answer the great and 
important ends of religious biography, which are not to 
gain honour and applause to the writer ; but rather to 
excite and animate the reader to greater zeal and dili 



6 



PREFACE TO LIFE OF FLETCHER. 



gence in pursuit of whatever excellence might be de- 
scribed or exemplified in the subject of it. Add to this, 
he was sensible it was not the wish of any of the parties 
by whom he was pressed into this service, that the nar- 
ratives of Messrs. Wesley and Gilpin should be super- 
seded and lost sight of. He knew it was rather their 
desire, that these well written, though incomplete ac- 
counts should be brought forward afresh into public 
view, preserved and perpetuated, by being incorporated 
in one volume, with such other materials as might be 
collected ; thereby furnishing the public with such a clear 
and full history of that incomparable man as might be of 
lasting use to the Church of Christ, and a mean of edifi- 
cation to thousands yet unborn. 

But " the natural consequence of this mode of compi- 
lation," say they, " is, that the work is defective in clear- 
ness and uniformity, and that it is occasionally prolix and 
redundant." As to prolixity and redundance, the editor 
is under no concern. The persons for whose use chiefly 
he undertook to compile this volume, have such venera- 
tion for the memory of Mr. Fletcher, that any informa- 
tion concerning him that is authentic, and at all instruct- 
ive, or calculated to cast light upon his character, is 
peculiarly welcome ; although to readers less apprised 
of his worth, it might appear unnecessary, or even super- 
fluous. Under a persuasion of this, at the same time 
that the editor has corrected two or three important 
mistakes, inadvertently made in the former impression, 
he has enlarged the narrative still more in the present 
publication, by inserting several anecdotes, original let- 
ters, and other communications which had not come to 
hand when his manuscript for the first edition was sent 
to the press. 

But as to this point of prolixity, the Christian Observ- 
ers themselves have formed his apology. " It is but fair 
to observe, (say they,) as to this volume, that, as it was 
evidently intended chiefly for the perusal of the followers 
of Mr. Wesley, who are almost universally great admirers 
of Mr. Fletcher, the editor might not think it necessary 
to pay so much regard, in the construction of his work, 
to perspicuity of arrangement and elegance of manner 
as to the minuteness of his details, and the abundance 
of his matter." This statement, bating the unmerited 



PREFACE TO LIFE OF FLETCHER. 



7 



insinuation contained in it against the followers of Mr. 
Wesley as persons who have less taste than their neigh- 
bours for order and elegance in composition, the editor 
acknowledges to be pretty near the truth. He owns he 
did pay, and thought it his duty to pay, much more 
attention to the matter than to the form and manner of 
his work. He paid, however, considerable attention to 
the latter also, and ventures to say, while it has all the 
elegance which the fine pens of Messrs. Gilpin, Wesley, 
and Fletcher could give it, the greatest part of its con- 
tents being expressed in their words, it has all the per- 
spicuity and clearness which "an arrangement accord- 
ing to the date of the events," could bestow — an arrange- 
ment which these observers themselves acknowledge to 
have been attended to. 

As to uniformity, it has what is quite sufficient for a 
work of the kind; a uniformity, not indeed of language, 
the simple and laconic style of Mr. Wesley differing very 
materially from the diffuse and florid manner of Mr. Gil- 
pin and the copiousness of Mr. Fletcher ; but, what is 
infinitely more important, a uniformity of testimony, re- 
specting the amiable and excellent subject of the narra- 
tive, and that blessed Gospel which he preached, which 
he lived, and which his most eminent gifts and graces 
highly adorned. It is also uniform as to its design, and 
it is hoped that all its parts co-operate to produce the 
important effect intended, and that is, to induce every 
reader to follow Mr. Fletcher as he followed Christ. 

In short, the editor believes that he has pursued the 
best plan which he could have chosen, in order to trace, 
exhibit, and attest, from the mouths of different witnesses, 
Mr. Fletcher's character and conduct through every 
period of his life ; and to give the reader at once a clear 
and full view of his progressive wisdom, piety, and 
usefulness, and especially of that heavenly and divine 
mind whereby he was prepared for the great and glori- 
ous reward awaiting him in the kingdom of his Father. 

But without entering farther into the examination of 
what he cannot but think to be the unkind and illiberal 
remarks, contained in the forementioned publication, on 
these two most eminently useful men, the Rev. Messrs. 
Wesley and Fletcher, and on the Methodists in general ; 
as a proper contrast to their critique, and a confirmation 



g 



PREFACE TO LIFE OF FLETCHER. 



of the observations just made, the editor will now take 
the liberty of laying before the reader the judgment 
passed upon this work, by the conductors of two other 
periodical publications. Although no followers of Mr, 
Wesley, but persons of very different sentiments, as to 
some important points of Christian doctrine, neverthe- 
less they could not close their eyes to the uncommon 
piety and other excellences of the subject of this nar- 
rative. 

" Whatever difference of opinion," say the editors of 
the Theological and Biblical Magazine, (see their num- 
ber for April, 1805,) " may be entertained respecting 
some important points of doctrine, which the late Mr. 
Fletcher publicly maintained, we believe that there is but 
one opinion as to the exalted piety of this eminent 
Christian. We have perused these memoirs with deep 
interest, and we hope also not without profit. His 
humility, disinterestedness, affection, zeal, and heavenly 
mindedness have, perhaps, been seldom equalled ; and 
few, we believe, will rise from the perusal of the volume 
before us, without being ashamed of their own unpro- 
fitableness, and adoring the riches of Divine grace, which 
were so extraordinarily manifested to this man of God. 
While reading this account of Mr. Fletcher, we fre- 
quently called to mind the late most amiable Mr. Pearce, 
of Birmingham, whose life has been written by Mr. Ful- 
ler. There seems, indeed, to have been a very great 
resemblance in these two characters, both in the ardency 
of their Christian love, their entire devotedness to God, 
and the constant communion they held with the Father 
of spirits. We have not room for quotations, yet we 
feel strongly inclined to give a few expressions of his, 
which indicate great candour toward those who thought 
differently from him in some less important particulars 
of doctrine." After producing a passage to this pur- 
pose, which the reader will find in page 332, " God for- 
bid, &c," they add, "We, among many others, differ 
widely from Mr. Fletcher in some points of doctrine, 
but we cannot withhold our admiration of a character 
so truly lovely and exalted. Mr. Benson has performed 
his part, in collecting the materials for this Life of Mr 
Fletcher in a very respectable manner." 

The following sentences are transcribed from the 



PREFACE TO LIFE OF FLETCHER. 







Eclectic Review for June, 1805, in which this work is 
considered at large : 44 There have been some, in most 
ages of Christianity, and in most countries where it is 
professed, who have emulated its primitive and genuine 
excellence. Among these exalted few, the subject of 
the biography before us is unquestionably to be ranked. 
In whatever period he had lived, to whatever department 
of Christians he had belonged, he would have shone in 
the religious hemisphere, as a star of the first magni- 
tude." After giving, from the volume, a general out- 
line of his history, they add, 44 We must refer to the 
narrative of his short illness, given by Mrs. Fletcher, 
and to an ample character of him previously introduced, 
for a more adequate idea of this excellent man than we 
can attempt to impart. It was deemed preferable to 
give the preceding outline, rather than extracts of the 
work, as those (parts) which describe the more striking 
scenes of Mr. Fletcher's life have formerly been printed. 
Mr. Benson has very judiciously connected and com- 
pleted, either from his own knowledge, or authentic 
documents, the detached accounts which had appeared 
in various publications." After mentioning a few pas- 
sages, by the omission of which, and by the accession of 
Mr. Fletcher's character, as a tutor and as a writer, the 
authors of the Eclectic Review think the volume might 
be amended, they add, 44 We can cordially recommend 
it, in its present state, to serious and candid Christians, 
of every variety of form and sentiment : and it would 
greatly surprise us, should any person of this descrip- 
tion rise up from the perusal of it, and assert that it had 
not afforded him pleasure and improvement." 

The Editor. 



2 



10 



PREFACE TO LIFE OF FLETCHER. 



REV. MR. WESLEY'S PREFACE TO THE READER. 



No man in England has had so long an acquaintance 
with Mr. Fletcher as myself. Our acquaintance began 
almost as soon as his arrival in London, about the year 
1752, before he entered into holy orders, or (I believe) 
had any such intention. And it continued uninterrupted 
between thirty and forty years, even till it pleased God 
to take him to himself. Nor was ours a slight or ordi- 
nary acquaintance ; but we were of one heart and of one 
soul. We had no secrets between us for many years ; 
we did not purposely hide any thing from each other. 
From time to time he consulted me, and I him, on the 
most important occasions. And he constantly professed, 
not only much esteem, but (what I valued far more) much 
affection. He told me, in one of his letters, (I doubt 
not from his heart,) 

" Tecum vivere amen ; tecum obeam lubens : 
With thee I gladly would both live and die." 

I therefore think myself obliged, by the strongest ties, 
to pay this small tribute to his memory. But you may 
easily observe that, in doing this, I am little more than 
a compiler. For I owe a great, if not the greatest part 
of the ensuing tract to a few friends, who have been at 
no small pains in furnishing me with materials : and 
above all, to my dear friend, (such she has been almosl 
from her childhood,) Mrs. Fletcher. I could easily have 
altered both hers and their language, while I retained 
their sentiments. But I was conscious I could not altei 
it for the better : and I would not alter for altering's 
sake : but judged it fairest to give you most of then 
accounts very nearly in their own words. 

Amsterdam, September 12, 1786. 



THE LIFE 

OF THE 

REV. JOHN WILLIAM DE LA FLECIIERE. 



CHAPTER I. 

Of his parentage and youth. 

John William De La Flechere, (this was properly 
his name,) was born at Nyon, in Switzerland, (Wesley's 
Life of Fletcher,) a town about fifteen miles north of 
Geneva, on September the twelfth, in the year 1729. 
His father was an officer in the French service, till he 
left the army in order to marry. But after a time, he 
returned to the same line of life, and was a colonel in 
the militia of his own country. Of this gentleman, whose 
family is one of the most respectable in the canton of 
Berne, and a branch of an earldom of Savoy, Mr. Fletcher 
was the youngest son. 

2. He passed the early part of his life at Nyon, ( Gilpin's 
Notes, subjoined to Fletcher's Portrait of St. Paul,) 
where he soon discovered an elevated turn of mind, ac- 
companied with an unusual degree of vivacity. After 
having made a good proficiency in school learning, he 
was removed with his two brothers to Geneva, where he 
was distinguished equally by his superior abilities and his 
uncommon application. The first two prizes for which 
he stood a candidate he carried away from a number of 
competitors, several of whom were nearly related to the 
professors : and on these occasions he was complimented 
by his superiors in a very flattering manner. During his 
residence at Geneva, he allowed himself but little time, 
either for recreation, refreshment, or rest. After con- 
fining himself closely to his studies all the day, he would 
frequently consume the greater part of the night in noting 
down whatever had occurred, in the course of his read- 
ing, worthy of observation. Here he acquired that true 
classical taste which was so frequently and justly ad- 
mired by his intimate friends, and which all his studied 
plainness could never conceal. Here also he laid the 



12 



LIFE OF FvEV. J. FLETCHER. 



foundation of that extensive and accurate knowledge for 
which he was afterward distinguished, both in philoso- 
phical and theological researches. After quitting Geneva, 
he was sent by his father to Lentzbourg, a small town in 
the Swiss cantons, where he not only acquired the Ger- 
man language, but diligently prosecuted his other studies, 
to which he ever discovered a passionate attachment. 
On his return from this place he continued some time 
at home, studying the Hebrew language, and perfecting 
his acquaintance with mathematical learning. 

3. His early piety was equally remarkable with his 
early attainments. From his childhood he was impress- 
ed with a deep sense of the majesty of God, and a constant 
fear of offending him, and manifested great tenderness of 
conscience, as appears by the following instances. One 
day having offended his father, who threatened to correct 
him, he did not dare to come into his presence, but retired 
into the garden : and when he saw him coming toward 
him, he ran away with all speed. But he was presently 
struck with deep remorse, and said to himself, " What! 
do I run away from my father ? Perhaps I shall live to 
have a son that will run away from me/" And it was 
several years before the impression which he then re- 
ceived was worn off. 

4. Another instance of his tenderness of conscience 
occurred when he was about seven years of age. He 
was one day reproved by the nursery maid, saying, " You 
are a naughty boy. Do you not know that the devil is 
to take away all naughty children?" He was no sooner 
in bed, than he began to reflect very deeply upon her 
words. He thought, "I am a naughty boy. And how 
do I know but God may let the devil take me away this 
night." He then got up, fell down upon his knees before 
God, and prayed earnestly for a considerable time, till he 
felt such a sense of the Divine love as quieted every fear. 
He then lay down in peace and safety. 

5. Mr. Fletcher's early acquaintance with the Holy 
Scriptures guarded him, on the one hand, from the snares 
of infidelity, and preserved him, on the other, from many 
of the vices peculiar to youth. His conversation was 
modest, and his whole conduct marked with a degree of 
rectitude not usually to be found in early life. He mani- 
fested an extr* ordinary turn for religious meditation : and 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



13 



those little productions which gained him the greatest ap- 
plause, at this period, were chiefly of a serious tendency. 
His filial obedience and brotherly affection were exem- 
plary ; nor is it remembered that he ever uttered one 
unbecoming expression m either of those characters. He 
was a constant reprover of sin ; and his modest freedom 
In this respect is said once to have offended a mother he 
tenderly loved. While she was, on some occasion, ex- 
pressing herself in too warm a manner to one of the 
family, he turned his eye upon her with a gentle reproof. 
She was displeased with the modest reprehension, and 
repaid it with some severity, which he received with the 
utmost submission, making only the following reply: 
" When I am smitten on one cheek, and especially by a 
hand I love so well, I am taught to turn the other also.' 19 
This expression was not employed with an air of bravado, 
but with a look of so much tender affection that the in- 
dignation of his mother was instantly turned into a look 
of pleasing admiration. 

6. Persons who are designed by the Almighty for emi- 
nent services in his Church are frequently distinguished 
in their youth by striking peculiarities, which awaken 
in those around them an expectation of something extra- 
ordinary in their future character. Of this kind was the 
following circumstance. During Mr. Fletcher's residence 
at Geneva, his sister, Madame de Botens, who had taken 
a house in that city for the convenience of her brothers, 
was visited by a widow lady from Nyon. This lady was 
accompanied by her three sons, who were not the most 
happily disposed, and whose improper conduct at this 
time provoked her to so uncommon a degree as to ex- 
tort from her a hasfy imprecation. Mr. Fletcher, who 
was present upon this occasion, was so struck with the 
unnatural carriage of this exasperated mother that, in- 
stantly starting from his chair, he addressed her in a very 
powerful remonstrance. He reasoned with her in an 
affecting and pointed manner. He observed and lament- 
ed the difficulties of her situation ; but entreated her to 
struggle against them with discretion, and not with impa- 
tience. He exhorted her to educate her children in the 
fear of God, and to second such education by her own 
pious example. After assuring her that her conduct on 
the present occasion had filled him with the utmost horror, 



14 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



and that he could not but tremble for the consequences 
of it, he concluded his address by alarming her fears, 
lest the imprecation she had uttered should be followed 
by some unexpected family affliction. That same day 
the widow, in her return to Nyon, embarked upon the 
lake, where she was overtaken with a tremendous storm, 
and brought to the very point of perishing. In the midst 
of her danger, the words of her young prophet, as she ever 
afterward termed Mr. Fletcher, were deeply impressed 
upon her mind. But they shortly returned upon her in 
a most forcible manner, with the melancholy intelligence, 
that two of her sons were lost upon the lake, and the third 
crushed to death at one of the gates of Geneva. At this 
time Mr. Fletcher was not more than fourteen years of age. 

7. While Mr. Fletcher was yet a youth, his life was 
sundry times m imminent danger, but was mercifully pre- 
served. One day, as he informed Mrs. Fletcher, he and 
his elder brother, being about to exercise themselves in 
fencing, had taken real, instead of wooden swords, with 
buttons fixed upon the points of them. His brother 
making a hard push at him, the button upon the point 
of his sword split in two, and the sword entered Mr 
Fletcher's side, near his bowels, and gave him so deep 
a wound that he carried the scar of it to his grave. 

At another time, he and his brother went upon the lake 
of Geneva in a little boat, and rowed forward till, being 
out of sight of land, they knew not what way they were 
going, nor whether they were approaching or removing 
farther from the shore from which they had set out. The 
evening now came on, and it was beginning to grow dark, 
and as they were proceeding toward the middle of the 
lake, in all probability they would have been lost, had it 
not providentially happened that, in consequence of some 
news arriving in town, the bells began to ring. They 
could but just hear them, but were soon convinced that 
instead of rowing to land, as they had intended, they had 
been proceeding farther and farther from it. Making 
now toward the quarter from which they perceived the 
sound to come, they found they had just strength enough 
left to reach the shore. 

8. To these accounts of his remarkable preservation 
given by himself to Mrs. Fletcher, I shall add some still 
more remarkable, which he gave to Mr. Samuel Webb, of 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



13 



London, then residing at Madeley, as related in the short 
Narrative of his Life and Death, published by the Rev. 
Mr. Wesley. " When I was a lad, I had a design to get 
some fruit out of my father's garden. The door being 
locked, I could not get in, but by climbing over the wall. 
This was very high ; but with some difficulty I got to the 
top of it. As I was walking upon it, my foot slipped, and 
I fell down to the bottom. But just where I fell, a large 
quantity of fresh-made mortar was laid. I fell exactly upon 
it. This broke my fall, or it might have cost me my life." 

Again. " Once as I was swimming by myself in a deep 
water, one end of a strong riband which bound my hair, 
getting loose, I know not how, and twisting about my leg, 
tied me as it were neck and heels. I strove with all my 
strength to disengage myself: but it was to no purpose. 
No person being within call, I gave myself up for lost. 
But when I had given over struggling, the riband loosed 
of itself." 

" Another instance of the tender care which God had 
over me, was as follows : One evening I and four young 
gentlemen, in high spirits, made a solemn agreement 
with each other to swim next day to a rocky island, five 
miles distant from the shore. But this foolish adventure 
was within a very little of costing us all our lives. I 
and another indeed did with great difficulty and hazard 
swim to the island. But when we came thither, the rock 
was so steep and smooth, that we could not possibly 
climb up. After swimming around several times, and 
making many ineffectual efforts, we thought we must 
perish there. But at length one of us found a place, 
where he made a shift to crawl up. He then helped his 
companion. The others swam about halfway, a boat 
then took them up, when they were just sinking. Ano- 
ther boat which he had ordered to follow us, afterward 
came and took us home." 

9. But the deliverance of which he gave an account in 
the year 1760, is yet more wonderful. " Some years 
since I lived at a place very near the river Rhine. In 
that part it is broader than the Thames at London bridge, 
and extremely rapid. But having been long practised 
in swimming, I made no scruple of going into it at any 
time. Only I was always careful to keep near the shore, 
that the stream might not carry me away. Once, how- 



16 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



ever, being less careful than usual, I was unawares drawn 
into the mid channel. The water there was extremely 
rough, and poured along like a galloping horse. I en- 
deavoured to swim against it, but in vain, till I was hur- 
red far from home. When I was almost spent, I reste 
apon my back, and then looked about for a landing place, 
finding I must either land or sink. With much difficulty 
I got near the shore ; but the rocks were so ragged and 
sharp that I saw, if I attempted to land there, I should be 
torn in pieces. So I was constrained to turn again to the 
mid stream : at last, despairing of life, I was cheered by 
the sight of a fine smooth creek, into which I was swiftly 
carried by a violent stream. A building stood directly 
across it, which I did not then know to be a powder mill. 
The last thing I can remember, was the striking of my 
breast against one of the piles whereon it stood. I then 
lost my senses, and knew nothing more, till I rose on the 
other side of the mill. When I came to myself I was in 
a calm safe place, perfectly well, without any soreness 
or weariness at all. Nothing was amiss but the distance 
of my clothes, the stream having driven me five miles 
from the place where I left them. Many persons gladly 
welcomed me on shore : one gentleman, in particular, 
who said, £ I looked when you went under the mill, and 
again when you rose on the other side. And the time of 
your being immerged among the piles, was exactly 
twenty minutes.' " 

But some will say, "Why this was a miracle!" "Un- 
doubtedly," observes Mr. Wesley, " it was. It was not 
a natural event ; but a work wrought above the power 
of nature, probably by the ministry of angels." 

10. After Mr. Fletcher had gone through the usual 
course of study at the university of Geneva, it was the 
desire of his parents that he should be a clergyman. 
"And as far as nature can furnish a man," says Mr. 
Gilpin, " for offices of a sacred kind, perhaps there never 
was a person better qualified to sustain the character of 
a minister of Jesus Christ, than Mr. Fletcher. His dis- 
position and habits, his sentiments and studies, his reve- 
rential awe of God, his insatiable thirst after truth, and 
his uncommon abhorrence of vice, gave his friends 
abundant reason to apprehend that he was marked, at 
an early age, for the service of the Church. Contrary, 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



IT 



however, to all expectation, and contrary to the first 
designs of his family, before he had arrived to the age 
of twenty, he manifested views of a very opposite na- 
ture. His theological studies gave place to the systems 
of Vauban and Cohorn, and he evidently preferred the 
camp to the Church. All the remonstrances of his 
friends, on this apparent change in his disposition, were 
totally ineffectual ; and, had it not been for repeated 
disappointments, he would have wielded another sword 
than that of the Spirit. Happily, his projects for the 
field were constantly baffled and blasted by the appoint- 
ments of that God who reserved him for a more import- 
ant scene of action. His choice of the army is, how- 
ever, to be imputed rather to principle than inclination. 
On the one hand, he detested the irregularities and 
vices to which a military life would expose him ; on the 
other, he dreaded the condemnation he might incur by 
acquitting himself unfaithfully in the pastoral office. He 
conceived it abundantly easier to toil for glory in fields 
of blood than to labour for God, with unwearied perse- 
verance, in the vineyard of the Church. He believed 
himself qualified rather for military operations than for 
spiritual employments, and the exalted ideas he enter- 
tained of the holy ministry determined him to seek some 
other profession more adapted to the weakness of hu- 
manity, and he preferred being an officer in the army 
to all others." 

11. Mr. Fletcher himself, in a letter to the Rev. Mr. 
Wesley, dated November 24, 1756, a few weeks before 
he took orders, partly confirms these observations of 
Mr. Gilpin, and partly assigns an additional reason why 
he then declined the sacred office of the ministry. 
"From the time I first began to feel the love of God," 
says he, " shed abroad in my soul, which was, I think, 
at seven years of age, I resolved to give myself up to 
him and to the service of his Church if ever I should be 
fit for it ; but the corruption which is in the world, and 
that which was in my heart, soon weakened, if not 
erased, those first characters which grace had written 
upon it. However, I went through my studies with a de- 
sign of going into orders ; but afterward, upon serious 
reflection, feeling I was unequal to so great a burden, 
and disgusted by the necessity I should be under to 

3 



IS 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



subscribe the doctrine of predestination, I yielded to the 
desire of those of my friends who would have me to go 
into the army. But just before I was quite engaged in 
a military employment, I met with such disappointments 
as occasioned my coming to England." Add to this, 
that he disapproved of the motives which had chiefly 
induced his parents to desire him to enter into the mi- 
nistry. This appears from an observation which he 
m^de to Mrs. Fletcher one day, while he was showing 
ner a piece of painting which he had executed when he 
was about sixteen years of age. "I was then studying 
fortification," said he, " with a view to go into the aimy. 
Once, indeed, my friends having a prospect of obtaining 
preferment for me, w T anted me to go into the Church. 
But that motive I thought by no means right, and there- 
fore still pursued my plan of being a soldier." So that, 
according to his own account, he at that time declined 
the ministry, for three reasons : 1st. Because he judged 
himself unqualified for so high and holy a calling : 2dly. 
He scrupled subscribing the doctrine of predestination, 
which, it seems, he must have done to have taken orders 
in Switzerland ; and, 3dly. He disapproved of under- 
dertaking so sacred an office as that of preaching the 
Gospel in order to obtain preferment, or with any 
worldly views whatever. 

12. Not being able to gain the consent of his parents 
to his going into the army, according to Mr. Wesley, he 
went away to Lisbon. Here, it seems, he gathered a 
company of his own countrymen, accepted of a captain's 
commission, and engaged to serve the king of Portugal 
on board a man-of-war, which was just then getting 
ready with all speed in order to sail to Brazil. He then 
wrote to his parents, begging them to send him a con- 
siderable sum of money. Of this he expected to make 
a vast advantage. But they refused him. Unmoved bv 
this, he determined to go without it as soon as the ship 
sailed. But in the morning the maid, waiting on him at 
breakfast, let the tea kettle fall, and so scalded his leg 
that he kept his bed for a considerable time after. 
During that time the ship sailed for Brazil. But it was 
observed that the ship was heard of no more. 

13. His desire of being an officer in the army, Mr. 
Wesley tells us, continued after he returned from Lis- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



19 



bon. And when he was informed that his uncle, then a 
colonel in the Dutch service, had procured a commission 
for him, he joyfully set out for Flanders. But just at 
that time the peace was concluded ; and his uncle dying 
quickly after, his hopes were blasted, and he gave up 
all thoughts of being a soldier. And, being disengaged 
from all business, he thought it would not be amiss to 
spend a little time in England. 

14. Coming to the custom house in London with some 
other young gentlemen, none of whom could speak any 
English, they were treated with the utmost surliness and 
ill manners by some brutish custom-house officers. 
These not only took out and jumbled together all the 
things that were in their portmanteaus, but took away 
their letters of recommendation, telling them, " All let- 
ters must be sent by the post." It is justly observed by- 
Mr. Wesley, that " they are such saucy and ill-manner- 
ed wretches as these who bring up an evil report on our 
nation. Britons might well be styled Hospitibus feri, 
if they were all like these vermin. " 

15. From hence they went to an inn; but here they 
were under another difficulty. As they spoke no Eng- 
lish they could not tell how to exchange their foreign 
into English money ; till Mr. Fletcher, going to the door, 
heard a well dressed Jew talking French. He told him 
the difficulty they were under with regard to the ex- 
change of money. The Jew replied, " Give me your 
money and I will get it changed in five minutes." Mr. 
Fletcher without delay gave him his purse, in which 
were ninety pounds. As soon as he came back to his 
company he told them what he had done. They all 
cried out with one voice, " Then your money is gone. 
You need never expect to see a crown or a doit of it 
any more. Men are constantly waiting about the doors 
of these inns on purpose to take in young strangers." 
Seeing no remedy, no way to help himself, he could 
only commend his cause to God. And that was enough. 
Before they had done breakfast, in came the Jew and 
brought him the whole money. 

16 Inquiring for a person who was proper to perfect 
him a. the English tongue, (the rudiments of which he 
had begun to learn before he left Geneva,) he was re- 
commend* d to Mr. Burchell, who then kept a boarding 



20 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



school at South Mimms, in Hertfordshire. And when 
Mr. Burchell removed to Hatfield he chose to remove 
with him. All the time he was both at South Mimms 
and at Hatfield he was of a serious and reserved beha- 
viour ; very different from that of the other young gen- 
tlemen who were his fellow students. Here he diligently 
studied both the English language and all the branches 
of polite literature. Meantime his easy and genteel 
behaviour, together with his eminent sweetness of tem- 
per, gained him the esteem as well as the affection of 
all that conversed with him. He frequently visited some 
of the first families in Hatfield, who were all fond of his 
conversation, so lively and ingenious, at the same time 
evidencing both the gentleman and the scholar. All this 
time he had the fear of God deeply rooted in his heart. 
But he had none to take him by the hand and lead him 
forward in the ways of God. He stayed with Mr. Bur- 
chell about eighteen months, who loved him as his own 
son. 

17. Afterward one Mr. Decamps, a French minister, 
to whom he had been recommended, procured him the 
place of tutor to the two sons of Thomas Hill, Esquire, 
at Ternhall, in Shropshire. In the year 1752, he re- 
moved into Mr. Hill's family, and entered upon the im- 
portant province of instructing the young gentlemen. 
He still feared God, but had not yet an experimental 
sense of his love. Nor was he convinced of his own 
fallen state, till one Sunday evening a servant came in 
to make up his fire, while he was writing some music, 
who, looking at him with serious concern, said, " Sir, I 
am sorry to see you so employed on the Lord's day." 
At first his pride was alarmed, and his resentment moved 
at being reproved by a servant. But upon reflection, he 
felt the reproof was just. He immediately put away his 
music, and from that very hour became a strict observer 
of the Lord's day. 

18. "I have heard," says Mr. Wesley, "two very 
different accounts of the manner wherein he had the first 
notice of the people called Methodists. But I think it 
reasonable to prefer to any other that which I received 
from his own mouth. This was as follows : — 

" When Mr. Hill went to London to attend the par- 
liament, he took his **amily and Mr. Fletcher with him. 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



21 



While they stopped at St. Albans, he walked out into 
the town, and did not return till they were set out for 
London. A horse being left for him, he rode after, and 
overtook them in the evening. Mr. Hill asking him 
why he stayed behind, he said, 4 As I was walking, I 
met with a poor old woman, who talked so sweetly of 
Jesus Christ, that I knew not how the time passed away.' 
4 1 shall wonder,' said Mrs. H., i if our tutor does not turn 
Methodist by and by.' 4 Methodist, madam,' said he, 
4 pray what is that V She replied, 4 Why, the Methodists 
are a people that do nothing but pray : they are praying 
all day and all night.' 4 Are they?' said he, 4 then by 
the help of God, I will find them out if they be above 
ground.' He did find them out not long after, and was 
admitted into the society. And from this time, when- 
ever he was in town, he met in Mr. Richard Edwards' 
class. This he found so profitable to his soul, that he 
lost no opportunity of meeting. And he retained a pe- 
culiar regard for Mr. Edwards till the day of his death " 



CHAPTER II. 

Account of his conversion. 

1. Notwithstanding the early appearance of piety 
in Mr. Fletcher, it is evident that he continued, for a long 
time, a perfect stranger to the true nature of Christianity. 
He was naturally of a high and ambitious turn, though 
his ambition was sufficiently refined for religious as well 
as scientific pursuits. He aspired after rectitude, and 
was anxious to possess every moral perfection. He 
counted much upon the dignity of human nature, and 
was ambitious to act in a manner becoming his exalted 
ideas of that dignity. And here he outstripped the 
multitude in an uncommon degree. He was rigidly just 
in his dealings, and inflexibly true to his word ; he was 
a strict observer of his several duties in every relation 
of life ; his sentiments were liberal, and his charity pro- 
fuse ; he was prudent in his conduct, and courteous in 
his deportment ; he was a diligent inquirer after truth, 
and a strenuous advocate for virtue ; he was frequent in 
sacred meditations, and was a regular attendant at public 



22 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



worship. Possessed of so many moral accomplish- 
ments, while he was admired by his friends, it is no won- 
der that he should cast a look of self-complacency upon 
his character, and consider himself, with respect to his 
attainments in virtue, abundantly superior to the com- 
mon herd of mankind. But while he was taken up in 
congratulating himself upon his own fancied eminence 
in piety, he was an absolute stranger to that unfeigr.ed 
sorrow for sin which is the first step toward the king- 
dom of God. It was not till after he had resided some 
time in England that he became experimentally acquaint- 
ed with the nature of true repentance. This, according 
to Mrs. Fletcher's account, was in the following manner : 
2. Meeting with a person who asked him to go and 
hear the Methodists, he readily consented, and from 
that time became more and more conscious that a change 
of heart was necessary to make him happy. He now 
began to strive with the utmost diligence, according to 
the light he had, hoping, by doing much, to render him- 
self acceptable to God. But one day hearing a sermon 
preached by a clergyman whose name was Green, he 
was convinced he did not understand the nature of saving 
faith. This conviction caused many reflections to arise 
in his mind. " Is it possible," thought he, " that I, who 
have always been accounted so religious, who have made 
divinity my study and received the premium of piety 
(so called) from the university for my writings on Divine 
subjects, — is it possible that I should yet be so ignorant 
as not to know what faith is ?" But the more he examined 
himself, and considered the subject, the more he was 
convinced of the momentous truth. And beginning also 
to see his sinfulness and guilt, and the entire corruption 
and depravity of his whole nature, his hope of being 
able to reconcile himself to God by his own works began 
to die away. He sought, however, by the most rigor- 
ous austerities to conquer this evil nature, and bring into 
his soul a heaven-born peace. But alas ! the more he 
strove, the more he saw and felt that all his soul was 
sin. And now he was entirely at a loss what to do, be- 
ing conscious of his danger, and seeing no way to escape, 
till at last he discovered that nothing, except a revelation 
of the Lord Jesus to his heart, could make him a true 
believer. 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



23 



3. Bui a few pages transcribed from a diary, written 
by his own hand, when he was about twenty-five years 
of age, will give the reader the best information on this 
subject. 

"The 12th of January, 1755, I received the sacra- 
ment, though my heart was as hard as a flint. The fol- 
owing day, I felt the tyranny of sin more than ever, and 
an uncommon coldness in all religious duties. I felt the 
burden of my corruptions heavier than ever ; there was 
no rest in my flesh. I called upon the Lord, but with 
such heaviness as made me fear it was lost labour. The 
more I prayed for victory over sin, the more I was con- 
quered. Many a time did I take up the Bible to seek 
comfort, but not being able to read, I shut it again. The 
thoughts which engrossed my mind were generally 
these : I am undone. I have wandered from God more 
than ever. I have trampled under foot the frequent con- 
victions which God was pleased to work in my heart. 
Instead- of going straight to Christ, I have wasted my 
time in fighting against sin with the dim light of my 
reason, and the mere use of the means of grace ; as if 
the means would do me good without the blessing and 
power of God. I fear my knowledge of Christ is only 
speculative, and does not reach my heart. I never had 
faith; and without faith it is impossible to please God 
Therefore, all my thoughts, words, and works, however 
specious before men, are utterly sinful before God. And 
if I am not washed and renewed before I go hence, lam 
lost to all eternity. 

4. " When I saw that all my endeavours availed no- 
thing toward conquering sin, I almost gave up all hope, 
and resolved to sin on, and go to hell. But I remember 
there was a sort of sweetness even in the midst of these 
abominable thoughts. If I go to hell, said I, I will serve 
God there : and since I cannot be an instance of his 
mercy in heaven, I will be a monument of his justice in 
hell : and if I show forth his glory one way or the other, 
I am content. But I soon recovered my ground. I 
thought Christ died for all, therefore he died for me. 
He died to pluck such sinners as I am as brands out of 
the burning. And as I sincerely desire to be his, he will 
surely take me to himself — he will surely let me know, 
before I die, that he hath died for me, and will break 



24 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



asunder these chains wherewith I am bound. If he 
leave me for a little while in this dreadful state, it is only 
to show me the depth of the misery he will draw me out 
of. I must then humble myself under his mighty hand, 
and he will lift me up in his appointed time. But then 
I thought, this, perhaps, may not be till my dying hour — 
and must I sin on till then ? How can I do this ? But I 
thought again, my Saviour was about thirty-three years 
working out my salvation ; let nie wait for him as long, 
and then I may have some excuse for my impatience. 
Does God owe me any thing? Is he bound to time and 
place? Do I deserve any thing at his hands but damna- 
tion ? I would here observe that anger in particular 
seemed to be one of the sins I could never overcome. 
So I went on, sinning and repenting, and sinning again ; 
but still calling on God's mercy through Christ. 

5. "I was now beat out of all my strong holds. I felt 
my helplessness, and lay at the feet of Christ. I cried, 
though coldly, yet I believe sincerely, ' Save me, Lord, 
as a brand snatched out of the fire ; give me justifying 
faith in thy blood ; cleanse me from my sins ; for the 
devil will surely reign over me, until thou shalt take me 
into thy hand. I shall only be an instrument in his hand 
to work wickedness, until thou shalt stretch forth thine 
almighty arm, and save thy lost creature by free unme- 
rited grace.' I seldom went to private prayer, but this 
thought came into my mind : This may be the happy 
hour when thou wilt prevail with God ; but still I was 
disappointed. I cried to G od ; but my heart was so hard 
that I feared it did not go with my lips. I strove, but it 
was so coldly that often I had fits of drowsiness even in 
my prayers. When overcome with heaviness, I went to 
bed, beseeching God to spare me till next day, that I 
might renew my wrestling with him till I should prevail. 

6. " On Sunday the 19th, in the evening, I heard an 
excellent sermon on these words, ' Being justified by 
faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ.' I heard it attentively, but my heart was not 
moved in the least ; I was only still more convinced that 
I was an unbeliever, that I was not justified by faith, and 
that till I was, I should never have peace with God. The 
hymn after the sermon suited the subject ; but I could 
not join in singing it. So I sat mourning, while others 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



rejoiced in God their Saviour. I went home, still re- 
solving to wrestle with the Lord like Jacob, till I should 
become a prevailing Israel. 

" I begged of God the following day to show me the 
wickedness of my heart, and to fit me for his pardoning 
mercy, I besought him to increase my convictions, for 
I was afraid I did not mourn enough for my sins. But 
I found relief in Mr. Wesley's Journal, where I learned 
that we should not build on what we feel ; but go to 
Christ with all our sins, and all our hardness of heart. 
On the 21st, I began to write part of what rilled my 
heart, namely, a confession of my sins, misery, and 
helplessness, together with a resolution to seek Christ, 
even unto death. But my business calling me away, I 
had no heart to resume the subject. In the evening I 
read the Scriptures, and found a sort of pleasure in see- 
ing a picture of my wickedness so exactly drawn in the 
third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, and that of 
my condition in the seventh. And now I felt some hope 
that God would carry on in me the work he had begun 

" I often wished to be acquainted with some one win. 
had been just in my state, and resolved to seek for one 
to whom I might unbosom my whole soul, and apply foi 
advice. As I had heard that mourners sometimes found 
comfort in reading over any particular text of Scripture 
they opened upon, I opened the Bible once for that pur- 
pose ; but I found nothing that gave me comfort, and so 
I did it no more, for fear of tempting God. 

7. " Thursday, my fast day, Satan beset me hard ; I 
sinned, and grievously too. And now I almost gave up 
all hope. I mourned deeply, but with a heart as hard as 
ever. I was on the brink of despair, and continued, 
nevertheless, to fall into sin, as often as I was assaulted 
with temptation. But I must observe that all this while, 
though I had a clear sense of my wickedness, and of 
what I deserved ; and though I often thought that hell 
would be my portion, if God did not soon pity me, yet I 
never was much afraid of it. Whether this was owing 
to a secret hope lodged in my mind, or to hardness of 
heart, I know not ; but I was continually crying out, 
i What stupidity ! I see myself hanging as by a thread 
over hell ! and yet I am not afraid — but sin on ! O what 
is man without the grace of God? a verv devil in wick- 
et 



26 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



edness though inferior to him in experience and power.' 
In the evening I went to a friend, and told him something 
of my present state ; he endeavoured to administer com- 
fort, but it did not suit my case ; there is no peace to a 
sinner unless it come from above. When we parted, he 
gave me some advice which suited my condition jDetter ; 
4 God (said he) is merciful; God loves you; and if he 
deny you any thing, it is for your good ; you deserve 
nothing at his hands : wait then patiently for him, and 
never give up your hope.' I went home resolved to fol- 
low his advice, though I should stay till death. 

8. " I had purposed to receive the Lord's Supper the 
following Sunday ; I therefore returned to my room, and 
looked out a sacramental hymn. I learned it by heart, 
and prayed it over many times, sometimes with heavi 
ness enough, at others with some devotion, intending 
to repeat it at the table. I then went to bed, commend- 
ing myself to God with rather more hope and peace than 
I had felt for some time. But Satan waked while I slept. 
I dreamed I had committed grievous and abominable 
sins : I awoke amazed and confounded, and rising with a 
detestation of the corruption of my senses and imagina- 
tion, I fell upon my knees, and prayed with more faith 
and less wanderings than usual ; and afterward went 
about my business with an uncommon cheerfulness. It 
was not long before I was tempted by my besetting sin, 
but found myself a new creature. My soul was not even 
ruffled. I took not much notice of it at first; but hav- 
ing withstood two or three temptations, and feeling peace 
in my soul, through the whole of them, I began to think 
it was the Lord's doing. Afterward it was suggested to 
me that it was great presumption for such a sinner to 
hope for so great a mercy. However, I prayed I might 
not be permitted to fall into a delusion ; but the more I 
prayed, the more I saw it was real. For though sin 
stirred all the day long, I always overcame it in the name 
of the Lord. 

9. "In the evening I read the experience of some of 
God's children, and found my case agreed with theirs, 
and suited the sermon I had heard on justifying faith ; 
so that my hope increased. I entreated the Lord to do 
to his servant according to his mercy, and take all the 
glory to himself. I prayed earnestly and with an hum- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



27 



ole assurance, though without great emotions of joy, 
that I might have dominion over sin, and peace with God ; 
not doubting but that joy and a full assurrance of faith 
would be imparted to me in God's good time. I con- 
tinued calling upon the Lord for an increase of faith ; 
for still I felt some fear of being in a delusion : and 
having continued my supplication till near one in the 
morning, I then opened my Bible on these words. Psa. 
lv, 22, ' Cast thy burden on the Lord, and he shall sus- 
tain thee ; he will not suffer the righteous to be moved.' 
Filled with joy, I fell again on my knees to beg of God 
that I might always cast my burden upon him. I took 
up my Bible again, and opened it on these words, Deut. 
xxxi, 4 1 will be with thee, I will not fail thee, neither 
forsake thee ; fear not, neither be dismayed.' My hope 
was now greatly increased ; I thought I saw myself 
conqueror over sin, hell, and all manner of affliction. 

" With this comfortable promise I shut up my Bible, 
being now perfectly satisfied. As I shut it, I cast my 
eye on that word, 4 Whatsoever you shall ask in my 
name, I will do it.' So having asked grace of God to 
serve him till death, I went cheerfully to take my rest." 

10. So far we have Mr. Fletcher's account, written 
with his own hand. To this I add what Mrs. Fletcher 
says she heard him speak concerning his experience at 
this time, viz., that he still continued to plead with the 
Lord to take more full possession of his heart, and 
sought with unwearied assiduity to receive a brighter 
manifestation of God's love to his soul : till one day, as 
he was in earnest prayer, lying prostrate on his face be- 
fore the Lord, he had a view, by faith, of our Saviour 
hanging and bleeding on the cross, and at the same time 
these words were applied with power to his heart : — 
v Seized by the rage of sinful men 

I see Christ bound, and bruised, and slain: 
'Tis done, the martyr dies ! 

His life to ransom ours," is given, 

And lo ! the fiercest fire of heaven 
Consumes the sacrifice, 

" He suffers both from men and God, 
He bears the universal load 

Of guilt and misery ! 
He suffers to reverse our doom, 
And lo. my Lord is here become 
The bread of life to me!" 



28 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



Now all his bonds were broken : he breathed a purei 
air, and was able to say with confidence, " The life I 
now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, 
who loved me and gave himself for me." By means of 
this faith his soul was freed, and sin was put under his 
feet. Knowing in whom he had believed, he could tri- 
umph in the Lord, and praise the God of his salvation. 

11. About this time Mr. Fletcher addressed an epistle 
to his brother, in which he gives a farther description of 
the change that had taken place in his own mind, in the 
following words : — 

"I speak from experience. I have been successively 
deluded by all those desires which I here so sincerely 
l'eprobate, and sometimes I have been the sport of them 
all at once. This will appear incredible, except to those 
who have discovered that the heart of unregenerate man 
is nothing more than a chaos of obscurity, and a mass 
of contradictions. If you have any acquaintance with 
yourself, you will readily subscribe to this description 
of the human heart ; and if you are without this ac- 
quaintance, then rest assured, my dear brother, that 
whatever your pursuit may be, you are as far from true 
happiness as the most wretched of men. The meteor 
you are following still flies before you ; frequently it 
disappears, and never shows itself but to allure you to 
the brink of some unlooked-for precipice. 

" Every unconverted man must necessarily come under 
one or other of the following descriptions : he is either 
a voluptuary, a worldly minded 'person, or a Pharisaical 
philosopher ; or, perhaps, like myself, he may be all of 
these at the same time : and, what is still more extraor- 
dinary, he may be so, not only without believing, but 
even without once suspecting it. Indeed, nothing is 
more common among men than an entire blindness to 
their own real characters. How long have I placed my 
happiness in mere chimeras ! How often have I ground- 
ed my vain hopes upon imaginary foundations ? I have 
been constantly employed in framing designs for my own 
felicity ; but my disappointments have been as frequent 
and various as my projects. In the midst of my idle 
reveries, how often have I said to myself, ' Drag thy 
weary feet but to the summit of yonder eminence, — a 
situation beyond which the world has nothing to present 



LIFE QT REV, J. FLETCHER. 



29 



more adequate to thy wishes, and there thou shalt sit 
down in a state of repose.' On my arrival, however, at 
the spot proposed, a sad discovery has taken place — the 
whole scene has appeared more barren than the valley 
I had quitted ; and the point of happiness, which I lately 
imagined it possible to have touched with my finger, has 
presented itself at a greater distance than ever. 

"If hitherto, my dear brother, you have beguiled 
yourself with prospects of the same visionary nature, 
never expect to be more successful in your future pur- 
suits. One labour will only succeed another, making 
way for continual discontent and chagrin. Open your 
heart, and there you will discover the source of that painful 
inquietude, to which, by your own confession, you have 
been long a prey. Examine its secret recesses, and you 
discover there sufficient proofs of the following 
;hs : The heart is deceitful above all things, and des- 

-ately wicked. All have sinned and come short of the 
ry of God. The thoughts of man's heart are only evil, 

d that continually. The natural man under standeth 
;0t the things of the Spirit of God. On the discovery 
f these and other important truths, you will be con- 
vinced that man is an apostate being, composed of a 
sensual, rebellious body, and a soul immersed in pride, 
self-love, and ignorance : nay, more, you will perceive 
it a physical impossibility that man should ever become 
truly happy till he is cast, as it were, into a new mould, 
and created a second time. 

" For my own part, when I first began to know my- 
self, I saw, I felt, that man is an undefinable animal, 
partly of a bestial, and partly of an infernal nature. 
This discovery shocked my self-love, and filled me with 
the utmost horror. I endeavoured for some time to throw 
a palliating disguise over the wretchedness of my condi- 
tion ; but the impression it had already made upon my 
heart was too deep to be erased. It was to no purpose 
that I reminded myself of the morality of my conduct. 
It was in vain that I recollected the many encomiums 
that had been passed upon my early piety and virtue. 
And it was to little avail, that I sought to cast a mist 
before my eyes by reasonings like these— if conversion 
implies a total change, who has been converted in these 
days ? Why dost thou imagine thyself worse than thou 



30 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



really art? Thou art a believer in God and in Christ: 
thou art a Christian : thou hast injured no person : thou 
art neither a drunkard nor an adulterer : thou hast dis- 
charged thy duties, not only in a general way, but with 
more than ordinary exactness : thou art a strict at- 
tendant at church : thou art accustomed to pray more 
regularly than others, and frequently with a good degree 
of fervour. Make thyself perfectly easy. Moreover, 
Jesus Christ has suffered for thy sins, and his merit will 
supply every thing that is lacking on thy part. 

" It was by reasonings of this nature that I endea- 
voured to conceal from myself the deplorable state of my 
heart : and I am ashamed, my dear brother ; I repeat it, 
I am ashamed that I suffered myself so long to be delud- 
ed by the artifices of Satan, and the devices of my own 
heart. God himself has invited me, a cloud of apostles, 
prophets, and martyrs, have exhorted me, and my con- 
science, animated by those sparks of grace which are 
latent in every breast, has urged me to enter in at the 
strait gate, but notwithstanding all this, a subtle tempter, 
a deluding world, and a deceived heart, have constantly 
turned the balance, for above these twenty years, in 
favour of the broad way. I have passed the most lovely 
part of my life in the service of these tyrannical mas- 
ters, and am ready to declare in the face of the universe 
that all my reward has consisted in disquietude and re- 
morse. Happy had I been if I had listened to the earli- 
est invitations of grace, and broken their iron yoke from 
off my neck !" 

12. From this time his hopes and fears, his desires 
and pursuits, were totally changed. (Gilpin^s Notes.) 
From the heights of self-exaltation, he sunk into the 
depths of self-abhorrence ; and from shining in the fore- 
most ranks of the virtuous, he placed himself on a level 
with the chief of sinners. Convictions made way for 
unfeigned repentance, and repentance laid a solid foun- 
dation for Christian piety. His sorrow for sin was 
succeeded by a consciousness of the Almighty's favour, 
and the pangs of remorse gave way to the joys of re- 
mission. Believing on Jesus, as the Scripture hath 
said, he found in him a well of consolation springing' 
up into everlasting life. All his wanderings were at 
once happily terminated, his doubts were removed, 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 



31 



his tears were dried up, and he began to rejoice in hope 
of the glory of God. His conversion was not imagi- 
nary, but real. It not only influenced his sentiments, 
but extended to his conduct. Whom he had found a 
Saviour, he determined to follow as a guide : and so 
unalterable was this determination that from the very 
hour in which it was formed, it is not known that he 
ever cast a wishful look behind him. A cloud of wit- 
nesses are ready to testify that from his earliest acquaint- 
ance with the truths of the Gospel, he continued to walk 
worthy of his high vocation, growing in grace, and 
adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. 

13. From this period of his life he became truly ex- 
emplary for Christian piety. He walked cheerfully, as 
well as valiantly, in the ways of God. He closely fol- 
lowed his Master, denying himself, and taking up his 
cross daily. And thinking he had not leisure in the day 
for the great work which he had in hand, he made it an 
invariable rule to sit up two whole nights in a week. 
These he dedicated to reading, meditation, and prayer, 
in order to enter more deeply into that communion with 
the Father and the Son which was his delight. Mean- 
time he lived entirely on vegetable food, and for some 
time on bread, with milk and water. Indeed one reason 
of his doing this was, that being threatened with a con- 
sumption in his early days, he had been advised by a 
physician to live on vegetables, and he now the more 
readily complied with the advice, because, by this mean, 
he avoided dining with the company at Mr. Hill's table. 
Mrs. Fletcher observes that beside watching the two 
whole nights every week just mentioned, his custom was 
never to sleep till he could no longer keep awake, and 
that therefore he always took a candle and book with 
him to bed. This imprudence had once almost cost him 
his life, if the calamity had stopped there, which it is 
probable it would not. For one night, being overcome 
with sleep before he put out his candle, he dreamed that 
his curtain, pillow, and cap, were all on fire, but went 
out without ("oing him any harm. And truly so it was. 
For in the morning, the curtain, pillow, and part of his 
cap, as also of the hymn book, in which he had been read- 
ing were found burned. The hymn book, in part burned, 
.Mrs. Fletcher has in her possession now. >"ot a hair, 



32 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



however, of his head was singed. A wonderful proof 
this, indeed, of God's care of his people, and that his 
angel encampeth around about them that fear him, 

" None can doubt," as Mr. Wesley observes, " whe- 
ther these austerities were well intended. But it seems 
they were not well judged. It is probable they gave the 
first wound to an excellent constitution, and laid the 
foundation of many infirmities, which nothing but death 
could cure." Indeed he seems afterward to have been 
fully apprized of his error in this respect, remarking 
once to Mrs. Fletcher, when conversing with her about 
mortification, that if he had that time to spend again, he 
would not act in the same manner either with regard to 
meat or sleep. "I have sometimes observed," added 
he, " that when the body is brought low, Satan gains 
an advantage over the soul. It is certainly our duty to 
take all the care we can of our health. But, at that time 
I did not seem to feel the want of the sleep I deprived 
myself of." 



CHAPTER III. 

From his conversion to his taking orders, and entering upon the 
work of the ministry. 

1. It was not long after he had himself felt the pow- 
ers of the world to come, that he was pressed in spirit 
to exhort others to seek after the same blessing. And he 
was the more strongly excited to this, by seeing the world 
all around him lying in wickedness. Being deeply sensi- 
ble of the goodness of God on the one hand, and of the 
misery of mankind on the other, he found an earnest 
longing 

" To pluck poor brands out of the fire, 

To snatch them from the verge of hell." 

This he began to do a considerable time before he was 
admitted into holy orders. And even his first labours 
of Iovb were far from being in vain. For though he was 
by n<? means perfect in the English tongue, particularly 
with regard to the pronunciation of it ; yet the earnest- 
ness with which he spoke, (seldom to be found in Eng- 
lish preachers,) and the unspeakably tender affection to 
the poor, undone sinners, who breathed in every word 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



33 



and gesture, drew multitudes of people to hear him : and 
by the blessing of God, his word made so deep an impres- 
sion on their hearts, that very few went empty away. 

2. From this time, till he took the direct care of souls, 
he used to be in London during the sitting of the parlia- 
ment, and the rest of the year at Tern-hall, (as it was 
then called,) instructing the young gentlemen. Every 
Sunday, when in the country, he attended the parish 
church at Atcham. But when the service was ended, 
instead of going home in the coach, which was always 
ready, he usually took a solitary walk by the Severn 
side, and spent some time in meditation and prayer. A 
pious domestic of Mr. Hill, having frequently observed 
him, one Sunday desired leave to walk with him, which 
he constantly did from that time. The account which 
he (Mr. Vaughan lately living in London) gave of Mr. 
Fletcher, when Mr. Wesley's edition of his life was 
published, is as follows : " It was our ordinary custom, 
when the church service was over, to retire into the 
most lonely fields or meadows, where we frequently 
either kneeled down, or prostrated ourselves upon the 
giound. At those happy seasons I was a witness of such 
pleadings and wrestlings with God, such exercises of 
faith and love, as I have not known in any one ever 
since. The consolations which we then received from 
God, induced us to appoint two or three nights in the 
week, when we duly met, after his pupils were asleep. 
We met also constantly on Sundays, between four and 
five in the morning. Sometimes I stepped into his 
study on other days. I rarely saw any book before 
him, beside the Bible and Christian Pattern. And he 
was seldom in any other company, unless when neces- 
sary business required, beside that of the unworthy wri- 
ter of this paper. 

3. " When he was in the country, he used to visit an 
officer of excise at Atcham to be instructed in singing. 
On my desiring him to give me some account of what he 
recollected concerning Mr. Fletcher, he answered thus : 
4 As to the man of God, Mr. Fletcher, it is but little that 
I remember of him ; it being above nine and twenty years 
since the last time I saw him. But this I well remember, 
his conversation with me was always sweet and savoury. 
He was too wise tr suffer any of his precious moments to 

5 



34 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



be trifled away. When there was company to dine at 
Mr. Hill's, ne frequently retired into the garden, and 
contentedly dine on a piece of bread, and a few bunches 
of currants. Indeed, in his whole manner of living, he 
was a pattern of abstemiousness. Meantime, how great 
was his sweetness of temper and heavenly mindedness ! 
I never saw it equalled in any one. How often, when 
I parted with him at Tern-hall, have his eyes and hands 
been lifted up to heaven, to implore a blessing upon me, 
with fervour and devoutness unequalled by any I ever 
saw ! I firmly believe he has not left in this land, or per- 
haps in any other, one luminary like himself. I con- 
clude, wishing this light may be so held up, that many 
may see the glory thereof, and be transformed into its 
likeness. May you and I, and all that love the Lord 
Jesus Christ, be partakers of that holiness which was 
so conspicuous in him !' 

4. " Our interviews for singing and conversation, (con- 
tinues Mr. Vaughan, who was often present on these 
occasions,) were seldom concluded without prayer ; in 
which we were frequently joined by her who is now my 
wife, (then a servant in the family,) as likewise by a poor 
widow in the village, who had also known the power 
of God unto salvation, and who died some years since, 
praising God with her latest breath. These were the 
only persons in the country whom he chose for his fami- 
liar friends. But he sometimes walked over to Shrews- 
bury, to see Mrs. Glynne, or Mr. Appleton ; (who like- 
wise now rests from his labours, after having many 
years adorned the Gospel.) He also visited any of the 
poor in the neighbourhood that were upon sick beds ; 
and when no other person could be procured, performed 
even the meanest offices for them." 

5. About this time his father died, as appears by the 
following letter, addressed to Mr. Richard Edwards of 
London, to whose care, as a leader, he was committed, 
when he was first received into the Methodist society in 
London. It is dated Tern, October 19, 1756. 

" Dearest Brother, — This is to let you know that 
(praised be the Lord) I am very well in body, and pretty 
well in soul : — but I have very few friends here, and 
God has been pleased to take away the chief of those 
few by a most comfortable death. And lately I heard 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



3o 



that my aged father is gone the way of all flesh : but 
the glorious circumstances of his death make me ample 
amends for the sorrow which I felt For some years I 
have written to him with as much freedom as I could 
have done to a son, though not with so much effect as I 
wished. But last spring God visited him with a severe 
illness, which brought him to a sense of himself. And 
after a deep repentance, he died about a month ago in 
the full assurance of faith. This has put several of my 
friends on thinking seriously, which affords me great 
cause of thankfulness. I am your unworthy brother 
and servant in the Lord, John Fletcher." 

G. During the early part of his residence in England, 
it is uncertain whether he entertained any thoughts of 
entering into holy orders, though he diligently prose- 
cuted those studies which are generally regarded as pre- 
paratory to such a step. It is most probable that he 
had formed no design of this nature, till this, the second 
year of his continuance at Tern-hall, in Shropshire ; 
when he became acquainted with the power of true reli- 
gion, and experienced that important change of heart 
which has been before described. Receiving at that 
time an inestimable talent from the hand of God, he re- 
solved, like a wise and faithful servant, to neglect no- 
thing that might conduce to the due improvement of it ; 
and from that period it became his grand inquiry, What 
shall I render unto the Lord for all the benefits that he 
hath done unto me ? No service appeared too laborious 
to be undertaken, nor any sacrifice too valuable to be 
offered in return for the signal favours conferred upon 
him. 

7. But what service could he render, or what sacrifice 
could he offer, that might be acceptable to the God who 
had done so great things for him ? The holy ministry, 
indeed, appeared to open before him a passage to the 
most important labours ; and an entire consecration of 
his united powers to this momentous work he consi- 
dered as the richest oblation he could make to the Fa- 
ther of mercies. But a variety of fears respecting his 
own unworthiness, prevented him from immediately 
offering this sacrifice, or hastily entering upon this work. 
He trembled at the idea of running before he was sent, 
and dreaded engaging in a warfare at his own coct. Tic 



36 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



believed himself unfurnished for the duties of the office 
to which he aspired. And though he considered the 
inclination of his heart as an internal call to the service 
of the Church, yet he judged it necessary to tarry till 
that call should be confirmed, if not by some providen- 
tial opening, at least by the approbation of his Christian 
friends. 

8. The Rev. Mr. Wesley was one whom, among 
others, he consulted on this occasion. To him he now 
addressed the following letter : — 

" Tern, Nov. 24, 1756. 

" Rev. Sir, — As I look upon you as my spiritual 
guide, and cannot doubt of your patience to hear, and 
your experience to answer a question proposed by one 
of your people, I freely lay my case before you. Since 
I came to England I have been called outwardly three 
times to go into orders ; but upon praying to God that 
if those calls were not from him, they might come to 
nothing, something always blasted the designs of my 
friends ; and in this I have often admired the goodness 
of God, who prevented my rushing into that important 
employment as the horse into the battle. I never was 
so thankful for this favour as I have been since I heard 
the Gospel in its purity. Before I was afraid, but now I 
trembled to meddle with holy things ; and resolved to 
work out my salvation privately, without engaging in a 
way of life which required so much more grace and 
gifts than I was conscious I possessed. Yet from time 
to time I felt warm and strong desires to cast myself 
and my ability on the Lord, if I should be called any 
more, knowing that he could help me, and show his 
strength in my weakness : and these desires were in- 
creased by some little success which attended my ex- 
hortations and letters to my friends. 

" I think it necessary to let you know, sir, that my 
patron often desired me to take orders, and said he would 
soon help me to a living ; to which I coldly answered, I 
was not fit, and that, besides, I did not know how to get a 
title. Things were in that state when, about six weeks 
ago, a gentleman whom I hardly knew offered me a 
living, which, in all probability, will be vacant soon ; 
and a clergyman I never spoke to gave me, of his own 
accord, the ftle of curate to one of his 3ivi rig's. Now* 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



37 



sir, the question which I beg you to decide is, Whether 
I must and can make use of that title to get into 
orders ? For with respect to the living, were it vacant, 
I have no mind to it ; because I think I could preach 
with more fruit in my native country, and in my own 
tongue. 

" I am in suspense : on one side my heart tells me I 
must try, and tells me so whenever I feel any degree of 
the love of God and man ; on the other, when I examine 
whether I am fit for it I so plainly see my want of gifts, 
and especially of that soul of all the labours of a minis- 
ter, love, continual, universal, flaming love, that my 
confidence disappears : I accuse myself of pride to dare 
to entertain the desire of supporting one day the ark of 
God, and conclude that an extraordinary punishment 
will, sooner or later, overtake my rashness. As I am 
in both of these frames successively, I must own, sir, I 
do not see which of these two ways before me I can take 
with safety ; and shall gladly be ruled by you ; because 
I trust God will direct you in giving me the advice you 
think will best conduce to his glory, which is the only 
thing I would have in view in this affair. I know how 
precious your time is, and desire no long answer. — 
Persist, or forbear, will satisfy and influence, Rev. sir, 
your unworthy servant, J. F." 

9. We are not informed what answer Mr. Wesley re- 
turned to this letter. We can have no doubt, however, 
but that he encouraged him to -proceed in his design ; 
and that Mr. Gilpin is perfectly right when he observes 
that 44 a discovery of his sentiments was no sooner made, 
but many honourable elders in the household of God, 
who had discernment enough to distinguish the grace 
that was in him, and how admirably he was fitted for the 
work of an evangelist, rejoiced over him as a faithful 
labourer already hired into the vineyard of Christ. They 
not only ratified his internal call to the holy ministry 
by their unanimous approbation, but earnestly solicited 
him to obey that call without any farther delay. Mean- 
while the word of the Lord was as fire in his bones, ever 
struggling for vent, and not unfrequently breaking forth, 
as occasion offered, in public reproof, exhortation, and 
prayer. 

10. 44 In this state he continued for about the space 



38 



LIFE OF REV. J* FLETCHER. 



of two years, not only determined what course he should 
pursue, but patiently waiting to hear what the Lord God 
would say concerning him. And during this season he 
was much occupied in making a diligent preparation for 
the service of the altar, that, if ever he should be called 
to so honourable an employment, he might go forth 
thoroughly furnished to every good work. The chief 
objects of his pursuit were sacred knowledge and Chris- 
tian purity ; in both of which he made an uncommon 
proficiency, surpassing many who had studied for that 
knowledge, and struggled for that purity, through the 
greater part of their life. By his private exercises he 
was fitted for public labours, and by the holy discipline 
to which he submitted himself, without any reserve, he 
was trained to spiritual eminence in the school of Christ. 
To those who perfectly knew him in this state of retire- 
ment he appeared as a polished shaft, hid indeed for a 
season in the quiver of his Lord, yet ready for immediate 
service, and prepared to fly in any appointed direction. 

11. "He was not without promises of preferment in 
the Church : but these served rather to retard than to 
hasten his entrance into it. Having a sacrifice to per- 
form, and not a fortune to secure, he was fearful lest his 
intention should be debased by views of an interested 
nature. At length, his humble reluctance was overcome, 
and, after the most mature deliberation, he solemnly 
determined to offer himself a candidate for holy orders. 
And to this solemn determination he was urged by the 
increasing force of two powerful motives, gratitude and 
benevolence ; gratitude to God impelled him to declare 
the name of his great Benefactor, and bear public testi- 
mony to the word of his grace ; while benevolence to- 
ward his fellow creatures incited him to spend and be 
spent in promoting their best interests. Constrained by 
these sacred motives, he publicly dedicated himself to 
the work of the holy ministry in the year 1757, when he 
received deacon's orders on Sunday, March 6th, and 
priest's orders on the following Sunday, from the hands 
of the bishop of Bangor, in the chapel royal at St, 
James'. 

12. " The same day that he was ordained a priest,' 
says Mr. Wesley, " being informed that I had no one to 
assist me at West-street chapel, he came away as soon 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



39 



as ever the ordination was over, and assisted me in the 
administration of the Lord's Supper. He was now 
doubly diligent in preaching, not only in the chapels at 
West-street and Spitalfields, but wherever the provi- 
dence of God opened a door to proclaim the everlasting 
Gospel. This he frequently did, not only in English, 
but likewise in French, his native language : of which 
he was allowed by all competent judges to be a complete 
master." 

13. The following letter, written to Mr. Wesley soon 
after his taking orders, manifests what a mean opinion 
he then had of himself both with respect to his grace 
and gifts. It is dated London, May 26, 1757. 

" Rev. Sir, — If I did not write to you before Mrs. 
Wesley had asked me, it was not that I wanted a re- 
memrancer within, but rather an encourager without. 
There is generally upon my heart such a sense of my 
unworthiness, that I sometimes dare hardly open my 
mouth before a cl|ild of God ; and think it an unspeak- 
able honour to stand before one who has recovered 
something of the image of God, or sincerely seeks after 
it. Is it possible that such a sinful worm as I should 
have the privilege to converse with one whose soul is 
sprinkled with the blood of my Lord ! The thought 
amazes, confounds me, and fills my eyes with tears of 
humble joy. Judge, then, at what distance I must see 
myself from you, if I am so much below the least of 
your children : and whether a remembrancer within suf- 
fices to make me presume to write to you, whose shoes 
I am not worthy to bear. 

" I rejoice that you find everywhere an increase of 
praying souls. I doubt not but the prayer of the right- 
eous hath great power with God ; and cannot but be- 
lieve that it must tend to promote the fulfilling of Christ's 
gracious promises to his Church. He must, and cer- 
tainly will come at the time appointed ; for he is not 
slack, as some men count slackness : and although he 
would have all to come to repentance, yet he has not 
forgot to be true and just. Only he will come with 
more mercy, and will increase the light that shall be at 
evening tide, according to his promise in Zech. xiv, 7. 
I should rather think that the visions are not yet plainly 
disclosed ; and that the day and year, in which the Lord 



40 



LIFE OF REV. 



J. FLETCHER. 



will begin to make bare his arm openly, are still con- 
cealed from us. 

" I must say of Mr. Walsh, as he once said to me con- 
cerning God, ' I wish I could attend him everywhere, 
as Elisha did Elijah." But since the will of God calls 
me from him I must submit, and drink the cup prepared 
for me. I have not seen him unless for a few moments, 
three or four times before Divine service. We must 
meet at the throne of grace, or meet but seldom. O, 
when will the communion of saints be complete ! Lord, 
hasten the time, and let me have a place among them 
that love thee, and love one another in sincerity. 

" I set out in two days for the country. O, may I be 
faithful ! harmless like a dove, wise like a serpent, and 
bold as a lion for the common cause ! O, Lord, do not 
forsake me ! Stand by the weakest of thy servants, and 
enable thy children to bear with me, and wrestle with 
thee in my behalf. O bear with me, dear sir, and give 
me your blessing every day, and the Ilbrd will return it 
to you sevenfold. I am, Rev. and dear sir, your un- 
worthy servant, J. F." 

14. In less than three weeks, it seems, from the time 
of his going into the country, he had an opportunity of 
preaching. This, according to Mr. Yaughan, quoted by 
Mr. Wesley, was on the 19th of June following. M His 
text was James iv, 4, (a very bold beginning !) Ye adul- 
terers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship 
of the world is enmity against God? The congregation 
stood amazed, and gazed upon him as if he had been a 
monster. But to me he appeared as a messenger sent 
from heaven." 

"It was not soon," proceeds Mr. V., "that he was 
invited again to preach in Atcham church. But he was 
invited to preach in several other churches in the neigh- 
bourhood; as at Wroxeter, and afterward at the Abbey 
church in Shrewsbury, having preached twice before in 
St. Alkmond's in that town. But not being yet perfect 
in the English tongue, he wrote down all the sermons he 
delivered in churches. But I doubt whether he preached 
above six times in the six months which he spent in the 
country. On my telling him I wished he had more op- 
portunities of preaching in this unenlightened part of the 
land, he answered, 1 The will of God be done : I am in 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



41 



his hands. And if he do not call me to so much public 
duty, I have the more time for study, prayer, and 
praise. " 

15. On this subject he signified his mind in the follow- 
ing letter, written at this time to his friend Mr. Edwards, 
before mentioned : — 

"I thank you for your encouraging observations ; I 
want them, and use them by the grace of God. When I 
received yours I had not had one opportunity of preach- 
ing : so incensed were all the clergy against me. One, 
however, let me have the use of his church, the Abbey 
church at Shrewsbury. I preached in the forenoon with 
some degree of the demonstration of the Spirit. The 
congregation was very numerous : and I believe one-half, 
at least, desired to hear me again. But the minister 
would not let me have the pulpit any more. The next 
Sunday, the minister of a neighbouring parish lying a 
dying, I was sent for to officiate for him. He died a few 
days after, and the chief man in the parish offered to 
make interest that I might succeed him. But I could 
not consent. The next Sunday I preached at Shrews- 
bury again, but in another church. The next day I set 
out for Bristol, and was much refreshed among the 
brethren. As I returned, I called at New-Kingswood, 
about sixteen miles from Bristol. The minister offering 
me his church, I preached to a numerous congregation, 
gathered on half an hour's notice. I think the seed 
then sown will not be lost." 

16. In the spring of this year (1758) we find him in 
London, from whence he wrote as follows to Mrs. 
Glynne, of Shrewsbury, the pious lady of his acquaint- 
ance before mentioned. His letter is dated April 18, and 
is here inserted to show the state of his mind at this time. 

" Madam, — As it is never too late to do what multi- 
plicity of business, rather than forgetfulness, has forced 
us to defer, I am not ashamed, though after some months, 
to use the liberty you gave me, to inquire after the wel- 
fare of your soul ; and that so much the more, as I am 
conscious I have not forgotten you at the throne of 
grace. O may my petitions have reached heaven, and 
forced from thence, at least, some drops of those spirit- 
ual showers of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy 
Ghost, which I implore for you. 

6 



42 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



" Though I trust the unction from above teaches you 
all things needful to salvation, and especially the neces- 
sity of continuing instant in prayer, and watching there- 
unto with all perseverance ; yet I think it my duty to 
endeavour to add wings to your desires after holiness, by 
enforcing them with mine. O were I but clothed with 
all the righteousness of Christ, my prayers would avail 
much ; and the lukewarmness of my brethren would 
not increase my guilt, as being myself an instance of 
that coldness of love which puts me upon interceding 
for them. 

" Though I speak of lukewarmness, I do not accuse 
you, madam, of having given way to it ; on the contrary, 
it is my duty, and the joy of my heart, to hope that you 
stir up more and more the gift of God which is in you ; 
that the evidences of your interest in a bleeding Lord 
become clearer every day ; that the love of Christ con- 
strain you more and more to deny yourself, take up 
your cross in all things, and follow him patiently, through 
bad and good report : in a word, that continually leaving 
the things which are behind, you stretch forward, 
through sunshine or darkness, toward the prize of your 
high calling in Jesus Christ, — I mean a heart emptied 
of pride, and filed with all the fulness of God. 

" I have often thought of you, madam, in reading the 
letters of a lady, (Mrs. Lefevre,) who was a Christian, 
and an eminent Christian, not to say one of the bright- 
est lights that God has raised since the late revival of 
godliness. The reproach of Christ was her crown of 
rejoicing, his cross her continual support, his followers 
her nearest companions, his example the pattern of her 
conversation. She lived a saint, and died an angel. 
Each one of her letters may be a pattern for Christian 
correspondents, by the simplicity, edification, and love, 
they breathe in every line. O when shall I write as 
she did ? When my heart shall be as full of God as hers 
was. 

" May the Lord enable you to walk in her steps, and 
grant me to see you shining among the humble, loving 
Marys of this age as she did but a few months ago. 
Her God is our God : the same Spirit that animated her 
is waiting at the door of our hearts, to cleanse them and 
fill them with his consolations, if we will but exclude 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



43 



the world, and let him in. Why should we then give 
way to despondency, and refuse to cherish that lively 
hope which if any one has, he will purify himself even 
as God is pure ? Take courage then, madam, and con- 
sider that the hour of self-denial and painful wrestling 
with God will be short, and the time of victorious re- 
compense as long as eternity itself. May the Lord 
enable you and me to consider this well, and to act ac- 
cordingly. 

"I conclude, by commending you to the Lord, and 
to the word of his grace, and recommending myself to 
your prayers. I am, madam, your obedient servant for 
Christ's sake. J. F." 

17. This year there were many French prisoners on 
their parole, at Tunbridge. Mr. Fletcher being desired 
to preach to them in their own language, he readily 
complied. Many of them appeared to be deeply affect- 
ed, and earnestly requested that he would preach to them 
every Lord's day. But some advised them first to pre- 
sent a petition to the bishop of London for leave. They 
did so, and (who would believe it?) the good bishop pe- 
remptorily rejected their petition ! An odd incident fol- 
lowed. A few months after, the bishop died of a cancer 
in his mouth. " Perhaps," says Mr. Wesley, " some 
may think this was a just retribution for silencing such 
a prophet on such an occasion ! I am not ashamed to 
acknowledge this is my own sentiment ; and I do not 
think it any breach of charity to suppose that an action 
so unworthy of a Christian bishop had its punishment 
in this world." 

When he returned from London, in the same year, he 
was more frequently invited to preach in several of the 
neighbouring churches. And before his quitting the 
country, he gave his friend a few printed papers to dis- 
tribute, entitled, " A Christmas Box for Journeymen and 
Apprentices." This is mentioned the rather, because it 
is supposed it was the first thing which he ever published. 

18. In the spring of the next year he was again in 
London, and in the same humble and self-diffident state 
of mind, as appears by the following short extracts from 
three of his letters to the Rev. Charles Wesley. The 
first is dated March 22, 1759 :— 

" My Dear Sir. — You left me without permitting me 



44 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



to say, farewell ; but that shall not hinder me from wish 
ing you a good journey, and I natter myself that you are 
in the habit of returning my prayers. 

44 Since your departure I have lived more than ever 
like a hermit. It seems to me that I am an unprofitable 
weight upon the earth. I want to hide myself from alL 
I tremble when the Lord favours me with a sight of my- 
self ; I tremble to think of preaching only to dishonour 
God. To-morrow I preach at West-street with all the 
feelings of Jonah : O would to God I might be attended 
with success ! If the Lord shall, in any degree, sustain 
my weakness, I shall consider myself as indebted to your 
prayers. 

44 A proposal has lately been made to me, to accom- 
pany Mr. Nathaniel Gilbert to the West Indies. I have 
weighed the matter ; but on one hand I feel that I have 
neither sufficient zeal, nor grace, nor talents, to expose 
myself to the temptations and labours of a mission in 
the West Indies ; and on the other, I belie v r e that if God 
call me thither, the time has not yet come. I wish to 
be certain that 1 am converted myself, before I leave my 
converted brethren to convert heathens. Pray let me 
know what you think of this business ; if you condemn 
me to put the sea between us, the command would be a 
hard one ; but I might, possibly, prevail on myself to 
give you that proof of the deference I pay to your judi- 
cious advice. 

44 1 have taken possession of my little hired chamber. 
There I have outward peace, and I wait for that which 
is within. I was this morning with Lady Huntingdon, 
who salutes you, and unites with me to say that we have 
need of you to make one in our threefold cord, and to 
beg you will hasten your return, when Providence per- 
mits. Our conversation was deep, and full of the energy 
of faith on the part of the countess ; as to me, I sat like 
Saul at the feet of Gamaliel. J. Fletcher." 

The second was written in April following, and in this 
his words are, 44 With a heart bowed down with grief, 
ana eyes bathed with tears, occasioned by our late heavy 
loss, I mean the death of Mr. Walsh, I take my pen to 
pray you to intercede for me. What ! that sincere, la- 
borious, and zealous servant of God ! Was he saved 
only as by fire, and was not his prayer heard till the 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



45 



twelfth hour was just expiring ? O, where shall I ap- 
pear, I who am an unprofitable servant ! Would to God 
my eyes were fountains of water to weep for my sins ! 
Would to God I might pass the rest of my days in cry- 
ing, Lord, have mercy upon me ! All is vanity — grace, 
talents, labours, if we compare them with the mighty 
stride we have to take from time into eternity ! Lord, 
remember me now thou art in thy kingdom ! 

44 1 have preached and administered the sacrament at 
West-street sometimes in the holidays. May God water 
the poor seed I have sown, and give it fruitfulness, 
though it be only in one soul ! 

44 1 have lately seen so much weakness in my heart, 
both as a minister and a Christian, that I know not which 
is most to be pitied, the man, the believer, or the 
preacher. Could I at last be truly humbled, and con- 
tinue so always, I should esteem myself happy in making 
this discovery. I preach merely to keep the chapel open, 
until God shall send a workman after his own heart. 
Nos numeri sumus ; (I fill an empty space ;) this is al- 
most all I can say of myself. If I did not know myself 
a little better than I did formerly, I should tell you that 
I had ceased altogether from placing any confidence in 
my repentances, &c, &c, but I see my heart is so full 
of deceit, that I cannot depend on my knowledge of 
myself. 

44 The day Mr. Walsh died, the Lord gave our brethren 
the spirit of prayer and supplication ; and many unutter- 
able groans were offered up for him at Spitalfields, where 
1 was. Who shall render us the same kind office ? Is 
not our hour near ? O, my God, when thou comest, pre- 
pare us, and we shall be ready ! You owe your children 
an elegy upon his death, and you cannot employ your 
poetic talents on a better subject. J. F." 

June 1st, he writes, 44 The Lord gives me health of 
body, and from time to time I feel strength in my soul. 
O, when shall the witness (meaning himself) who is dead, 
arise ! When shall the Spirit enter into him, and fill him 
with wisdom, with power, and with love ! Pray for me, 
and support my weakness as much as you can. I am 
here umbra pro corpore. (A shadow rather than a sub- 
stance.) 1 preach as your substitute : come and fill 
worthily an office of which I am unworthy, My pupils 



46 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



return to Cambridge on Monday, and the whole family 
sets out for Shropshire on the 11th. Shall I not see you 
before that time ? I have rejected the offer of Dr. Tay- 
lor, and have no other temptations than those of a bad 
heart. That is enough, you will say; I grant it; but 
we must fight before we conquer. Pray that my cou- 
rage may not fail. Come, and the Lord come with vou ! 
I am, &c, J. F." 

19. Having returned from London to Tern-hall, and 
being now less frequently called to public duty, he en- 
joyed his beloved retirement, giving himself up to study, 
meditation, and prayer, and walking closely with God. 
Indeed, his whole life was now a life of prayer ; and so 
intensely was his mind fixed upon God, that he some- 
times said, " I would not move from my seat without 
lifting up my heart to God." " Wherever we met," says 
Mr. Vaughan, " if we were alone, his first salute was, 
6 Do I meet you praying V And if we were talking on 
any point of divinity, when we were in the depth of our 
discourse he would often break off abruptly, and ask, 
4 Where are our hearts now V If ever the misconduct 
of an absent person was mentioned, his usual reply was, 
4 Let us pray for him.' " 

20. It appears, however, that he was not without pain- 
ful temptations of a spiritual nature, in this state of re- 
tirement. In a letter to the Rev. Charles Wesley, dated 
July 19th, of the same year, he observes, " Instead of 
apologizing for my silence, I will simply relate the cause 
of it, referring you to the remembrance of your own 
temptations for that patience you must exercise toward 
a weak, tempted soul. This is the fourth summer that 
I have been brought thither, in a peculiar manner, to be 
tempted of the devil in a wilderness : and I have im- 
proved so little by my past exercises that I have not 
defended myself better than in the first year. Being 
arrived here, I began to spend my time as I had deter- 
mined, one part in prayer, and the other in meditation 
on the Holy Scriptures. The Lord blessed my devo- 
tions, and I advanced from conquering to conquer, lead- 
ing every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus 
Christ ; when it pleased God to show me some of the 
folds of my heart. As I looked for nothing less than 
such a discovers, I was extremely surprised : so much 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



47 



so as to forget Christ : you may judge already what was 
the consequence. A spiritual languor seized on all the 
powers of my soul ; and I suffered myself to be carried 
away by a current, with a rapidity of which I was mac- 
quainted. 

" Neither doubt nor despair troubled me for a mo- 
ment : my temptation took another course. It appeared 
to me that God would be much more glorified by my 
damnation than my salvation. It seemed altogether 
incompatible with the holiness, the justice, and the vera- 
city of the supreme Being, to admit so stubborn an 
offender into his presence. I could do nothing but stand 
astonished at the patience of God. 

" Yesterday, however, as I sung one of your hymns, 
the Lord lifted up my head, and commanded me to face 
my enemies. By his grace I am already conqueror, and 
I doubt not but I shall soon be more than conqueror. 
Although I deserve it not, nevertheless, hold up my hands 
till all these Amalekites be put to flight. I am, &c, 

" J. F." 

21. After his return to London, which was soon after, 
he still possessed the same spirit of contrition and self- 
abasement. I must here observe, however, that this 
spirit, however commendable in the general, and how- 
ever essential to true Christianity, yet being carried to 
excess in his particular case, became, through the sub- 
tlety of Satan, a source of trial and discouragement to 
him. On the 14th of September he writes to the same 
faithful and intimate friend, as follows : — 

My Dear Sir, — " Your last lines drew tears from my 
eyes : I cannot wait till your death to beseech you to give 
me that benediction of which you speak. I conjure you, 
in the name of Christ, to give it me when you read these 
lines, and to repeat it as often as you think of a poor 
brother who needs the prayers of every one, and who 
cannot part with yours. 

" I accept, with pleasure, the obliging proposal you 
make me for the approaching winter ; and I entreat you 
to consider it less as a proposal than as an engagement 
into which you have entered, and of which I have a right 
to solicit the fulfilment. Permit me only to add to it 
one condition, which is, to make our reading, &c, tend 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



as much as possible to that poverty of spirit which I so 
greatly need. 

44 A few days ago the Lord gave me two or three les- 
sons on the subject of poverty of spirit, but alas ! how 
have I forgotten them ! I saw, I felt, that I was entirely 
void of wisdom and virtue. I was ashamed of myself, 
and I could say with a degree of feeling which I cannot 
describe, Nil ago, nil habeo, sum nil ; in pulvere serpo. 
(I do nothing, have nothing, am nothing ; I crawl in the 
dust.) I could then say, what Gregory Lopez was en- 
abled to say at all times, 4 There is no man of whom I 
have not a better opinion than of myself.' I could have 
placed myself under the feet of the most atrocious sin- 
ner, and have acknowledged him for a saint in compari- 
son of myself. If ever I am humble and patient, if ever 
I enjoy solid peace of mind, it must be in this very spi- 
rit. Ah ! why do I not actually find these virtues ? Be- 
cause I am filled with self -sufficiency, and am possessed 
by that self-esteem which blinds me, and hinders me 
from doing justice to my own demerits. O pra)^ that 
the Spirit of Jesus may remove these scales from my 
eyes for ever, and compel me to retire into my own 
nothingness. 

44 To what a monstrous idea had you well nigh given 
birth ! What ! the labours of my ministry under you de- 
serve a salary ! Alas ! I have done nothing but dishonour 
God hitherto, and am not in a condition to do any thing 
else for the future ! If then I am permitted to stand in 
the courts of the Lord's house, is it not for me to make 
an acknowledgment, rather than to receive one ? If I 
ever receive any thing of the Methodist Church, it shall 
be only as an indigent mendicant receives alms without 
which lie would perish. 

44 1 have great need of your advice relative to the let- 
ters which I receive one after another from my relations, 
who unite in their invitations to me to return to my own 
country : one says, to settle my affairs there ; another, 
to preach there ; a third, to assist him to die, &c. They 
press me to declare whether I renounce my family, and 
the demands I have upon it ; and my mother desires that 
I will at least go and see her ; and commands me to do 
so in the strongest terms. What answer shall I make ? 
If she thought as you do, I should write to her, 4 Ubi 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



49 



Christiani, ibi patria.' (Where the Christians are, there 
is my country.) 6 My mother, my brethren, my sisters, 
are those who do the will of my heavenly Father :' but 
she is not in a state of mind to digest such an answer : 
a mother is a mother long. On the other hand, I have 
no inclination to yield to their desires, which appear to 
me merely natural; for I shall lose precious time, and 
incur expense : my presence is not absolutely necessary 
to my concerns ; and it is more probable that my rela- 
tions will pervert me to vanity and interest, than that I 
shall convert them to genuine Christianity. Lastly, I 
shall have no opportunity to exercise my ministry. Our 
Swiss ministers, who preach only once a week, will not 
look upon me with a more favourable eye than the mi- 
nisters here ; and irregular preaching is impracticable, 
and would only cause me either to be laid in prison, or 
immediately banished from the country. 

" How does your family do? May the Almighty be 
your defence day and night ! What he protects is well 
protected. Permit me to thank you for the sentence 
from Kempis, with which you close your letter, by re- 
turning to you another: 'You run no risk in consider- 
ing yourself as the wickedest of men ; but you are in 
danger if you prefer yourself to any one.' I am, <fcc, 

" J. F." 

22. With respect to the salary that had been offered 
him, a few weeks after he says, " I fear you did not 
rightly understand what I wrote about the proposal you 
made me at London. So far from making conditions, 1 
feel myself unworthy of receiving them. Be it what it 
may, I thank God that I trouble myself with no tempo- 
ral things : my only fear is that of having too much, 
rather than too little, of the things necessary for life. I 
am weary of abundance. I could wish to be poor with 
my Saviour ; and those whom he hath chosen to be rich 
in faith, appear to me objects of envy in the midst of 
their wants. Happy should I be if a secret pride of 
heart did not disguise itself under these appearances of 
humility ! Happy should I be if that dangerous serpent 
did not conceal himself under these sweet flowers, and 
feed on their juices." 

The following paragraphs of the same letter seem to 
deserve a place here, as they manifest still farther the 

7 



50 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



lowly state of his mind, and his views of some important 
branches of experimental religion in this early stage of 
his Christian course : — " Your silence began to make me 
uneasy, and your letter had well nigh made me draw my 
pen over one I had written to ask the cause of it. The 
Lord afflicts you ; that is enough to silence every com- 
plaint ; and I will not open my mouth, except it be to 
pray the Lord to enable you and yours to bring forth 
those fruits of righteousness which attend the trials of 
his children. Take care of yourself for the sake of the 
Lord's little flock, and for me, who, with all the impa- 
tience of brotherly love, count every day till I can have 
the pleasure of embracing you. 

" If I know any thing of true brotherly love, which I 
often doubt, it agrees perfectly well with the love of 
God, as the sounds of the different parts in music agree 
with each other. Their union arises from their just dif- 
ference, and they please so much the more as they ap- 
pear the more opposed. The opposition of sentiments be- 
tween Divine and brotherly love, together w T ith the sub- 
ordination of the latter, forms that delightful combat in 
the soul of a believer termed by the apostle the being 
divided between two, which concludes with a sacrifice of 
resignation, such as the natural man is incapable of. 
Your expression, ' Spread the moral sense all o'er,'* 
gives me an idea of that charity which I seek. The love 
of Gregory Lopez appears to me to have been too stoic- 
al.\ I do not discover in it that vehement desire, those 
tears of love, that ardour of seeing and possessing each 
other in the bow^els of Jesus Christ, which I find so fre- 
quently in the epistles of St. Paul. If this sensibility be 
a failing, I do not wish to be exempt from it. What is 
your opinion ? 

* Alluding to a verse of that fine hymn, — 
" I want a principle within, 

Of jealous godly fear," &c., 
which verse appeared in the former editions of it, but was, I think, 
improperly omitted in our large hymn book. See p. 297. 

t This is a just remark. The life of a hermit is not the life of 
a Christian. How much better do we answer the designs of out 
benevolent Master, when 

" Freely to all ourselves we give,. 
Constrain'd by JesusMove to live 
The servants of mankind." 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



51 



" When I was reading Telemachus with my pupils, I 
was struck with this expression, £ He blushed to have 
been born with so little feeling for men, and to appear to 
them so inhuman.' I easily applied the first part ; and 
the son of Ulysses gave me an example of Christian re- 
pentance which I wish to follow till my heart is truly 
circumcised. Send me some remedy, or give me some 
advice against this hardness of heart under which I 
groan. What you say about reducing a mother to de- 
spair, \ias made me recollect what I have often thought, 
that the particular fault of the Swiss is to be without 
natural affection. With respect to that preference 
which my mother shows me above her other children, I 
see clearly that I am indebted for almost all the affection 
she expresses for me in her letters to my absence from 
her, which hinders her from seeing my faults ; and I 
reproach myself severely, that I cannot interest myself 
in her welfare as much as I did in that of my deceased 
father. I am, &c, J. F." 

23. The reader must not suppose, however, that amid 
the self-abasing thoughts which occupied his mind, and 
the contrition of spirit which he felt and manifested, he 
was devoid of confidence in God, of peace and consola- 
tion. Two days after we find him expressing himself 
in the following delightful language, in a letter to two 
pious women : — 

" My Dear Sisters, — I have put off writing to you, 
lest the action of writing should divert my soul from the 
awful and delightful worship it is engaged in. But I now 
conclude I shall be no loser if I invite you to love Him 
my soul loveth, to dread Him my soul dreadeth, to adore 
Him my soul adoreth. Sink with me, or rather let me 
sink with you before the throne of grace ; and while 
cherubim veil their faces, and cry out in tender fear and 
exquisite trembling, Holy ! holy ! holy ! let us put our 
mouths in the dust, and echo back the solemn sound, 
Holy ! holy ! holy ! Let us plunge ourselves into that 
ocean of purity. Let us try to fathom the depths of 
Divine mercy ; and convinced of the impossibility of 
such an attempt, let us lose ourselves in them. Let us 
be comprehended by God, if we cannot comprehend 
him. Let us be supremely happy in God. Let the in- 
tenseness of oui happiness border on misery, because 



52 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



we can make him no return. Let our heads become 
water, and our eyes fountains of tears — tears of humble 
repentance, of solemn joy, of silent admiration, of ex- 
alted adoration, of raptured desires, of inflamed trans- 
ports, of speechless awe. My God, and my all ! Your 
God, and your all ! Our God, and our all ! Praise him, 
and with our souls blended in one by Divine love, let us 
with one mouth glorify the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, — our Father, who is over all, through all, and 
in us all. 

"I charge you before the Lord Jesus Christ, who 
giveth life, and more abundant life ; I entreat you, by all 
the actings of faith, the exertions of hope, the flames of 
love you ever felt, sink to greater depths of self-abasing 
repentance, and rise to greater heights of Christ-exalting 
joy. And let Him w 7 ho is able to do exceeding abun- 
dantly more than you can ask or think, carry on and 
fulfil in you the work of faith with power ; with that 
power whereby he snbdueth all things to himself. Be 
steadfast in hope, immovable in patience and love, 
always abounding in the outward and inward labour of 
love, and receive the end of your faith, the salvation of 
your souls. I am, &c., J. F." 

24. Where Mr. Fletcher was, when he wrote the let- 
ter last quoted, is not certain ; it seems most probable, 
however, that he was at Tern. And if his friend, Mr. 
Vaughan, be right, it was about the close of this summer 
that he was frequently desired, sometimes to assist, at 
other times to perform the whole service for Mr. Cham- 
bers, then vicar of Madeley. On these occasions it was 
that he contracted such an affection for the people of 
Madeley as nothing could hinder from increasing more 
and more to the day of his death. While he officiated 
at Madeley, as he still lived at the Hall, ten miles distant 
from it, a groom was ordered to get a horse ready for 
him every Sunday morning. But so great was his aver- 
sion to giving trouble to any one, that if the groom did 
not awake at the time, he seldom w-ould suffer him to be 
called, but prepared the horse for himself. 

25. On the 15th of November the same year, Mr. 
Fletcher was again in London, where he had been at 
least eight or ten days. Here, as it appears from one 
of his, letters to Mr Charles Wesley, the countess of 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



53 



Huntingdon had proposed to him to celebrate the com- 
munion at her house sometimes in a morning, and to 
preach when occasion offered. This proposal was not 
meant, however, to restrain his liberty of preaching, 
where he might have an invitation, nor to prevent his 
assisting Mr. Wesley, or preaching to the French re- 
fugees; but only to fill up his vacant time, till Provi- 
dence should open a way for him elsewhere. 

Charity, politeness, and reason," says Mr. Fletcher, 
" accompanied her offer ; and I confess, in spite of the 
resolution which I had almost absolutely formed, to fly 
the houses of the great without even the exception of 
the countess', I found myself so greatly changed, that I 
should have accepted on the spot a proposal which I 
should have declined from any other mouth ; but my 
engagement with you (Mr. Charles Wesley) withheld 
me : and thanking the countess, I told her when I had 
reflected on her obliging offer, I would do myself the 
honour of waiting upon her again. 

"Nevertheless, two difficulties stand in my way. Will 
it be consistent with that poverty of spirit which I seek ? 
Can I accept an office for which I have such small ta- 
lents ? And shall I not dishonour the cause of God, by 
stammering out the mysteries of the Gospel in a place 
where the most approved ministers of the Lord have 
preached with so much power, and so much success? I 
suspect that my own vanity gives more weight to this 
second objection than it deserves to have. What think 
you ? 

" I give myself to your judicious counsels. You take 
unnecessary pains to assure me that they are disinte- 
rested ; for I cannot doubt it. I feel myself unworthy 
of them; much more still of the appellation of friend, 
with which you honour me. You are an indulgent fa- 
ther to me, and the name of son suits me better than 
that of brother." 

26. He seems to have continued in London, assisting 
the Messrs* Wesley, and preaching wherever he had a 
call, till the beginning of March following, on the first 
day of which he writes to Mr. Charles Wesley, from 
Dunstable. 

64 The fine weather invites me to execute a design I 
had half formed, of making a forced march to spend 



54 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



next Sunday at Everton, Mr. Berridge's p Arish. There 
may the voice of the Lord be heard by a poor child of 
Adam, who, like him, is still behind the trees of his own 
stupidity and impenitence ! 

" If I do not lose myself across the fields before 1 get 
there, and if the Lord be pleased to grant me the spirit 
of supplication, I will pray for you, and your dear sister 
at P , until I can again pray with you. Don't for- 
get me, I beseech you. If the Lord bring me to your 
remembrance, cast your bread on the waters on my be- 
half, and perhaps you will find it again after many days. 
I would fain be with you on those solemn occasions 
when a thousand voices are raised to heaven to obtain 
those graces which I have not : but God's will be done. 

"Don't forget to present my respects to the countess. 
If I continue any time at Everton, I shall take the liberty 
of giving her some account of the work of God in those 
parts ; if not, I will give it her in person. — Adieu. The 
Lord strengthen you in soul and body." 

27. Where or how Mr. Fletcher spent the spring and 
summer of this year, I believe we have no certain infor- 
mation. But in September following he was at Tern- 
hall, in Shropshire, from whence on the 26th he wrote 
to Lady Huntingdon, and gave the following account of 
his call to Madeley : — 

" Last Sunday the vicar of Madeley, to whom I was 
formerly curate, coming to pay a visit here, expressed a 
great regard for me, seemed to be quite reconciled, and 
assured me that he would do all that was in his power 
to serve me ; of which he yesterday gave me a proof, by 
sending me a testimonial unasked. He was no sooner 
gone than news was brought that the old clergyman I 
mentioned to your ladyship died suddenly the day be- 
fore ; and that same day, before I heard it, Mr. Hill, 
meeting at the races his nephew, who is patron of Ma- 
deley, told him that if he would present me to Madeley, 
he would give the vicar of that parish the living vacated 
by the old clergyman's death. This was immediately 
agreed to, as Mr. Hill himself informed me in the eve- 
ning, wishing me joy. This new promise, the manner 
in which Mr. Hill forced me from London to be here at 
this time, and the kindness of the three ministers I men- 
tioned, whose hearts seemed to be turned at this junc- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



55 



ture to sign my testimonials for institution, are sc many 
orders to be still, and wait till the door is quite open or 
shut. I beg, therefore, your ladyship would present my 
respects and thanks to Lady Margaret and Mr. Ingham, 
and acquaint them with the necessity which these cir- 
cumstances lay me under to follow the leadings of Pro 
vidence." 

"This (adds he in a letter to Mr. Charles Wesley) is 
agreeable to the advice you have so repeatedly given me, 
not to resist Providence, but to follow its leadings. I 
am, however, inwardly in suspense ; my heart revolts at 
the idea of being here alone, opposed by my superiors, 
hated by my neighbours, and despised by all the world. 
Without piety, without talents, without resolution, how 
shall I repel the assaults, and surmount the obstacles 
which I foresee, if I discharge my duty at Madeley with 
fidelity? On the other hand, to reject this presentation, 
to burn this certificate, and to leave in the desert the 
sheep whom the Lord has evidently brought me into 
the world to feed, appears to me nothing but obstinacy 
and refined self-love. I will hold a middle course be- 
tween these extremes ; I will be wholly passive in the 
steps I must take, and active in praying the Lord to de- 
liver me from the evil one, and to conduct me in the way 
he would have me to go. 

" If you see any thing better, inform me of it speedily , 
and, at the same time, remember me in all your prayers, 
that if this matter be not of the Lord, the enmity of the 
bishop of Litchfield, who must countersign my testimo- 
nials ; the threats of the chaplain of the bishop of Here- 
ford, who was a witness to my preaching at West-street ; 
the objections drawn from my not being naturalized, or 
some other obstacle, may prevent the kind intentions 
of Mr. Hill. Adieu." 

28. Neither Mr. Charles nor Mr. John Wesley, nor 
it seems any of his other friends, to whom he communi- 
cated this business, offering any material objections, Mr. 
Fletcher accepted the presentation to the vicarage of 
Madeley, in preference to another that was of double the 
value. He embraced it as his peculiar charge, the object 
of his most tender affection. And he was now at leisure 
to attend it, being fully discharged from his former em- 
ploy men t ; for his pupils were removed to Cambridge. 



56 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



The elder of them died about the time of his coming of 
age. The younger first represented the town of Salop, 
(as his father had done,) afterward the county ; till he 
took his seat in the house of peers, as Baron Berwick, 
of Attingham-house. This is now the name that is given 
to what was formerly called Tern-hall. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Of his qualifications for, and faithfulness in, the work of the mi- 
nistry ; and of his labours at Madeley, and elsewhere. 

1. "He who engages himself to fight the battles of 
the Lord," says the Rev. Mr. Gilpin, " has need of un- 
common strength and irresistible arms ; and if he be de- 
stitute of one or the other, he vainly expects to stand in 
the evil day. The Christian warrior is exposed to a vast 
variety of dangers, and beset with innumerable enemies. 
His whole life is one continued scene of warfare, in 
which he wrestles sometimes with visible, and at other 
times with invisible adversaries. For the labours of 
this sacred warfare no man ever esteemed himself less suf- 
ficient than Mr. Fletcher. He ever considered himself as 
the weakest of Christ's adherents, and unworthy to follow 
his glorious standard. But while he boasted no inherent 
strength, and was ready to occupy the meanest post, he 
was regarded by his brethren as a man peculiarly strong 
in the Lord, and in the power of his might. United to 
Christ, as *he branch is united to the vine, he was con- 
stantly deriving abundant supplies of vigour from the 
fountain head of power. And as the source of his 
strength was inexhaustible, so its operations were vari- 
ous and incessant. Now it was engaged in subduing 
sin ; and now, in labouring after that holiness without 
which no man shall see the Lord ; there it inspired the 
courage of the mighty, and here it sustained the burdens 
of the weak : at one time it was discovered by resolution 
and zeal ; at another, by resignation and fortitude : by 
the former, this man of God was enabled to grapple with 
his strongest enemy ; by the latter, he was taught to en- 
dure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 

2. 44 Mr. Fletcher's arms were equal to his strength, 
and served to make him truly invincible in the cause 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



57 



of godliness. From his first admission into the true 
Church militant, he was fully persuaded that armour 
forged by the art of man must needs be insufficient, 
either for conquest or security, in a spiritual warfare. 
He saw it absolutely necessary to be furnished with 
weapons of celestial temper, and was altogether dis- 
satisfied with his state till he had put on the whole 
armour of God, with a determined resolution never to 
put it off till his last conflict should be decided. He 
then appeared in the complete Christian uniform ; from 
the helmet of salvation to the sandals of peace, all was 
entire, and perfectly fitted to his spiritual frame. No 
mortal part was left unguarded, nor was any joint of 
his harness so loose as to admit a thrust from the enemy 
No part of his sacred panoply appeared uncouth or 
cumbersome, no part of his carriage constrained or un- 
natural : he appeared in arms as in his proper dress, 
and not as David, when he essayed to go forth in the 
armour of Saul. On no occasion was he ever known 
to affect any thing like spiritual pomp ; yet, on every 
occasion, there was a dignity of character in his deport- 
ment that raised the veneration of every beholder. As 
the heroes of antiquity were distinguished from warriors 
of an inferior order by the splendour of their arms, so, 
by the uncommon lustre of his graces, he was distin- 
guished as a chieftain in the Christian bands." 

3. By the account given in the preceding pages, the 
reader will observe that it was not " immediately (Gil- 
pin's Notes) upon his entering into orders that Mr. 
Fletcher was appointed statedly to labour in any parti- 
cular place. As he still continued in the family of Mr. 
Hill, he was but occasionally called to exercise the mi- 
nistry he had received. But, wherever he was invited 
to speak in the name of his Master, he effectually dis- 
tinguished himself from the generality of ministers by 
the earnestness and zeal with which he delivered his 
message. Whatever his hand found to do, in any part 
of the sacred vineyard, it may truly be said that he did 
it with all his might : and there is ran h reason to be- 
lieve that ev«n these occasional labours were not in vain 
in the Lord. It^was about three years after his ordina- 
tion that he was presented to the living of Madeley, 
where he had officiated for some, time previous to this 

8 



5S LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 

appointment. As Madeley was the place of his choice, 
so it was a place to which, by his rare endowments, he 
was peculiarly adapted, and for the reformation of which 
he appears to have been eminently appointed by the 
providence of God. Celebrated for the extensive works 
carried on within its limits, Madeley was remarkable 
for little else than the ignorance and profaneness of its 
inhabitants, among whom respect to man was as rarely 
to be observed as piety toward God. In this benighted 
place the Sabbath was openly profaned, and the most 
holy things contemptuously trampled, under foot : even 
the restraints of decency were violently broken through, 
and the external form of religion held up as a subject 
of ridicule. This general description of the inhabitants 
of Madeley must not. however, be indiscriminately ap- 
plied to every individual among them : exceptions there 
were to this prevailing character, but they were com- 
paratively few indeed. Such was the place where Mr. 
Fletcher was called to stand forth as a preacher of 
righteousness, and in which he appeared for the space 
of rive and twenty years as a burning and shining light 
4. " Immediately upon his settlino; in this populous 
village, which was in the year 1760. he entered upon 
the duties of his vocation with an extraordinary decree 
of earnestness and zeal. He saw the difficulties of his 
situation, and the reproaches to which he should be 
exposed, by a conscientious discharge of the pastoral 
office : but, persuaded of the importance of his charge, 
and concerned for the welfare of his people, he set his 
face like a flint against all who might oppose the truth 
or grace of God. As a steward of the manifold grace 
of God, he faithfully dispensed the word of life accord- 
ing as every man had need : instructing the ignorant, 
reasoning with gainsayers. exhorting the immoral, and 
rebuking the obstinate. Instant in season and out of 
season, he diligently performed the work of an evange- 
list, and lost no opportunity of declaring the truths of 
the Gospel, Not content with discharging the stated 
duties of the Sabbath, he counted that day as lost in 
which he was not actually employed in the service of 
the Church. As often as a small congregation could 
be collected, which was usually every evening, he joy- 
fully proclaimed to them the acceptable year of the 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



59 



Lord, whether it were in the place set apart for public- 
worship, in a private house, or in the open air. And 
on these occasions, the affectionate and fervent manner 
in which he addressed his hearers was an affecting proof 
of the interest he took in their spiritual concerns. As 
the varying circumstances of his people required, he 
assumed a different appearance among them : at one 
season he would open his mouth in blessings ; and at 
another, he would appear, like his Lord, amid the buyers 
and sellers, with the lash of righteous severity in his 
hand. But, in whatever way he exercised his ministry, 
it is evident that his labours were influenced by love, 
and tended immediately, either to the extirpation of sin, 
or the increase of holiness. 

5. " Nor was he less attentive to the private duties of 
his station than to public exhortation and prayer. Like 
a vigilant pastor, he daily acquainted himself with the 
wants and dispositions of his people, anxiously watching 
over their several households, and diligently teaching 
them from family to family. Esteeming no man too 
mean, too ignorant, or too profane to merit his affec- 
tionate attention, he condescended to the lowest and 
most unworthy of his flock, cheerfully becoming the 
servant of all, that he might gain the more. In the 
performance of this part of his duty he discovered an 
admirable mixture of discretion and zeal, solemnity and 
sweetness. He rebuked not an elder, but entreated him 
as a father ; to younger men he addressed himself with 
the affection of a brother, and to children with the ten- 
derness of a parent ; witnessing both to small and great 
the redemption that is in Jesus, and persuading them to 
cast in their lot with the people of God. In some of 
these holy visits, the earnest and constraining manner 
in which he has pleaded the cause of piety has melted 
down a whole family at once ; the old and the young 
have mingled their tears together, and solemnly deter- 
mined to turn right humbly to their God. There were 
indeed several families in his populous parish, to which 
he had no access, whose members, loving darkness rather 
than light, agreed to deny him admission, lest their deeds 
should be reproved. In such cases, where his zeal for 
the salvation of individuals could not possibly be mani- 
fested by persuasion and entreaty, it was effectually dis- 



60 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



covered by supplication and prayer : nor did he ever 
pass the door of an opposing family without breathing 
out an earnest desire that the door of mercy might never 
be barred against their approaches. 

6. "With respect to his attendance upon the sick, he 
was exemplary and indefatigable. 6 It was a work (says 
Mr. Wesley) for which he was always ready : if he heard 
the knocker in the coldest winter night, his window was 
thrown open in a moment. And when he understood 
either that some one was hurt in a pit, or that a neigh- 
bour was likely to die. no consideration was ever had 
of the darkness of the night, or the severity of the wea- 
ther ; but this answer was always given, I will attend 
you immediately.' Anxious (proceeds Mr. Gilpin) upon 
every suitable occasion to treat with his parishioners on 
subjects of a sacred nature, he was peculiarly solicitous 
to confer with them when verging toward the borders 
of eternity. At such seasons, when earthly objects lose 
their charms, and the mind is naturally disposed to look 
for support from some other quarter, he cheerfully came 
in to improve the providential visitation, either by salu- 
tary advice or seasonable consolation. These were 
valuable opportunities, which nothing could prevail upon 
him to neglect, fully convinced that the dictates of truth 
are never more likely to make a due impression upon 
the heart than when they are delivered in the antecham 
ber of death. His treatment of the dying was always 
regulated by their peculiar circumstances, and his fide- 
lity toward them was sweetly tempered with compas- 
sion. If the departing soul was prepared for the pro- 
mises of the Gospel, he thankfully administered them 
with a lavish hand ; if otherwise, he was importunate 
in prayer that the mercy of God might be maa-nified 
upon his languishing creature, though it should be as at 
the eleventh hour. As he never visited the chambers 
of the dying but in the spirit of earnest supplication, so 
he seldom quitted them without some degree of conso- 
latory hope. 

7. " There is still another part of his duty, in the dis- 
charge of which he discovered unusual earnestness and 
activity. It was a common thing in his parish for young 
persons of both sexes to meet at stated times, for the 
purpose of what is called recreation, and this recreation 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



61 



usually continued from evening to morning, consisting 
chiefly in dancing, revelling, drunkenness, and obscenity. 
These licentious assemblies he considered as a disgrace 
to the Christian name, and determined to exert his minis- 
terial authority for their total suppression. He has fre- 
quently burst in upon these disorderly companies with 
a holy indignation, making war upon Satan in places 
peculiarly appropriated to his service. Nor was his 
labour altogether in vain among the children of dissipa- 
tion and folly. After standing the first shock of their 
rudeness and brutality, his exhortations have been gene- 
rally received with silent submission, and have some- 
times produced a partial if not an entire reformation in 
many who were accustomed to frequent these assemblies. 
With one of these persons I am perfectly acquainted, 
who, having treated this venerable pastor with ridicule 
and abuse in one of these riotous assemblies, was shortly 
afterward constrained to cast himself at his feet, and 
solicit his prayers. This man is now steadily walking 
in the fear of God, with a thankful remembrance of the 
extraordinary manner in which he was plucked as a 
brand from the burning. 

" These, and every other duty of his sacred vocation, 
among which I might have particularly noticed the pub- 
lic and private instruction of children, were performed 
by this apostolic minister with an earnestness and zeal 
of which I can convey but a very imperfect idea. Never 
weary of well doing, he counted it his greatest privilege 
to spend and be spent in ministering to the Church, which 
he constantly honoured as the body of Christ, and in the 
service of which he sacrificed his strength, his health, 
and his life." 

8. So far Mr. Gilpin, who, living in the neighbour- 
hood, and being well acquainted both with the state of 
the parish of Madeley, and with Mr. Fletcher's conduct 
and labours among its inhabitants, could speak from 
personal knowledge of the facts he relates. It is certain, 
as Mr. Wesley has also testified, that, " from the begin- 
ning of his settling there, he was a laborious workman 
in his Lord's vineyard ;" endeavouring to spread the 
truth of the Gospel, and to suppress vice in every pos- 
sible way. " Those sinners who endeavoured to hide 
themselves from him he pursued to every corner of his 



62 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



parish ; by all sorts of means, public and private, early 
and late, in season and out of season, entreating and 
warning them to flee from the wrath to come. Some 
made it an excuse for not attending the Church service 
on a Sunday morning that they could not awake early 
enough to get their families ready. He provided for 
this also. Taking a bell in his hand, he set out every 
Sunday for some months, at five in the morning, and 
went around the most distant parts of the parish, invit- 
ing all the inhabitants to the house of God." 

9. In the meantime it was his constant care rightly 
to divide to all the word of truth. This, it will readily 
be acknowledged, is a work of no little importance in 
the Church of God. " Here fidelity and skill are equally 
necessary, and if either be wanting the work will be 
incomplete. With respect to the latter, either as it 
regards the word of God, or as it relates to the human 
heart, Mr. Fletcher was abundantly qualified for the 
discharge of his office. As to the human heart, he had 
so long and so accurately investigated his own, that he 
was not easily deceived in forming a judgment of his 
neighbour's. He knew its depths as well as its shal- 
lows, and its subtle artifices as well as its natural tem- 
pers ; he explored its intricate mazes, and unlocked its 
secret recesses with wonderful ease ; and could generally 
discover its real situation through every disguise. With 
regard to the word of God, he had studied it with so 
much constancy and care that he was perfectly familiar 
with every part of it. He was deeply read in the spi- 
ritual sense of the word, and had a happy talent at re- 
conciling its apparent contradictions. He could select 
from it with the utmost readiness truths of every dif- 
ferent tendency, and knew how to apply them, not only 
in common cases, but in the most extraordinary exigen 
cies of God's people. 

10. 46 His fidelity in addressing the different classes 
of his hearers was correspondent to that spirit of dis- 
cernment and wisdom with which he was so eminently 
favoured. On the one hand, he never attempted slightly 
to heal the hurt of his people : and, on the other, he was 
solicitous never to make sad the heart of the righteous, 
whom God had not made sad. Wherever he discovered* 
imjnety in the conduct, or hypocrisy in the heart, h* 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



63 



immediately levelled against it the keenest arrows of 
conviction. He warned the wicked of his way, and fre- 
quently endeavoured to draw him from it by alarming 
his heart with salutary fears ; selecting and applying 
upon these occasions those passages of Holy Writ which 
are peculiarly profitable for reproof and correction. 
And whenever it became necessary, he marshalled 
against the careless sinner the most terrible denuncia- 
tions of the Almighty's wrath. In the performance of 
this part of his duty, he paid but little regard to the out- 
ward circumstances of the offending party. Whether 
the enemies of God appeared in the splendour of riches, 
or in the meanness of poverty ; whether they were dis- 
tinguished by their erudition, or despicable by their 
ignorance, he met them with equal firmness in the cause 
of truth. 

11. " The style of his reproofs was adapted, indeed, 
to the various capacities and habits of those different 
classes of men ; but the substance of these reproofs was 
invariably the same, to whatever class they were di- 
rected, neither sharpened by contempt, nor blunted by 
respect. Unawed either by the majesty of kings, or the 
madness of the people, he was equally fitted to appear 
with Moses at an impious court, or to stand with Stephen 
in a turbulent assembly. But though he was far from 
betraying any pusillanimity in applying the severe threat- 
enings of the Gospel to the obstinately impenitent, yet 
his heart in this awful employment was never steeled 
against the feelings of humanity. His fidelity in this 
part of his duty was never unaccompanied with com- 
passion and sorrow. He possessed the firmness of 
Daniel, with all the benevolence of that favoured pro- 
phet. Daniel was once directed to interpret and ap- 
ply to Nebuchadnezzar a mysterious vision of Divine 
vengeance, and the fidelity with which he performed so 
painful a duty is worthy of admiration. But while his 
interpretation was plain, and his application pointed, it 
is observable that they were preceded by evident regret, 
and followed hy affectionate counsel. Such was the 
manner of Mr. Fletcher, who had learned from a greater 
than Daniel, to pronounce a sentence of condemnation 
with anguish and tears, Luke xix, 41. 

1% " But while he was faithful in proclaiming the djy 



64 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



of vengeance to the disobedient, he neglected not to 
'proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the 
prison to them that were bound. Both these parts of 
his duty he performed with fidelity, but the latter only 
with alacrity and cheerfulness. Peculiarly to fit him 
for this evangelical service, the Lord God had given 
him the tongue of the learned, that he should know how 
to speak a word in season to him that is weary ; and in 
the discharge of this favourite part of his office he was 
equally skilful, tender, and happy. His watchful eye 
was upon the weak, the faint, and the afflicted. He 
diligently acquainted himself with the nature and causes 
of their distress ; and whether they fainted through the 
anguish of remorse, or groaned beneath the violence of 
temptation, he had a suitable cordial prepared for their 
relief. He placed before their eyes a rich display of 
God's everlasting love, and assisted them to extract 
healing virtue from his unchangeable promises. He 
feelingly exhorted them to stretch out the withered 
hand ; and till they were enabled actually to lay hold on 
the hope set before them he ceased not to proclaim the 
Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suf- 
fering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy 
for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and 
sin ! 

13. " He was thoroughly acquainted with the treat- 
ment of afflicted consciences. He knew when to probe, 
and when to heal ; when to depress, and when to en- 
courage : and no man's case was so perplexed or despe- 
rate, but he was in some measure prepared to explain and 
relieve it. He discovered hope for the spiritual mourner 
amid the most hopeless circumstances, and furnished the 
tempted with a clew to guide them through the intrica- 
cies of their situation. As the psalmist addressed his 
own heart in distress, so he addressed himself to every 
son of affliction in the day of his trouble. He reasoned 
over the particular case of the afflicted person : Why 
art thou so full of heaviness, and why is thy soul so 
disquieted within thee ? Art thou afflicted beyond the 
common lot of thy companions in tribulation, or has 
any temptation befallen thee, except such as is common 
man ? From reasoning he proceeded to encourage- 
ment. Hope thou in God: reflect upon his nature, de- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



pend upon his word, and ask of the generations that are 
past, who ever trusted in the Lord and was confound- 
ed? From encouragement he rose to assurance: Thou 
shalt yet praise him, notwithstanding the present un- 
promising appearances : the God of all consolation shal] 
be thy God, the health of thy countenance, and thy por- 
tion for ever. 

14. " He was very anxiously desirous that the voice 
of joy and health might be heard in the dwellings of the 
righteous ; nor would he be contented till he could pre- 
vail upon the sorrowful to bear some harmonious part 
in the work of adoration and thanksgiving. But it is 
impossible to give a just representation of the sweet and 
condescending manner in which he treated every spirit- 
ual mourner. He would take up their neglected harps, 
and tune them to the praises of redeeming love. He 
would furnish them with a variety of sacred themes, and 
solicit them at least to attempt one of the songs of Sion. 
And while they lingered, he would sweetly take the lead 
in celebrating the Divine goodness. Now he recorded 
mercies past, and now he recounted promised blessings ; 
now he sung the wonders of grace, and now he pointed 
to the mysteries of glory. But if it appeared, after all 
these animating efforts on his part, that the mourners 
among his people were unable to accompany him in these 
joyful exercises, he would suddenly change his song of 
praise into a strain of supplication, and earnestly implore 
for them the light of His gracious countenance whose 
prerogative it is to appoint beauty for ashes, the oil of 
joy for mourning, and the garments of praise for the 
spirit of heaviness. 

' 6 Thus, with all possible plainness and fidelity this 
animated preacher administered the good word of God 
in his day and generation, whether it was a word of 
threatening to the careless and impenitent, or a word of 
consolation to the fearful and afflicted." 

15. Yet notwithstanding all the pains he took, he saw, 
for some time, little fruit of his labour: insomuch that 
he was more than once in doubt whether he had not 
mistaken his place ; whether God had indeed called him 
to confine himself chiefly to one town, or to labour more 
at large in his vineyard. He seems to have been espe- 
cially harassed with doubts upon this subject, if at any 

9 



66 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



time he was weak in faith, and in an uncomfc table state 
of mind. Thus in a letter to Mr. Charles Wesley, dated 
March 10, 1761, he says, "As I read your elegy (on 

Dr. M n) I could not refrain ray tears ; tears so much 

the more sweet as they originated in a secret hope that 
I should one day strip off the polluted rags of my own 
righteousness, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ, like 
the Christian hero of your poem. 

" I feel more and more, that I neither abide in Christ* 
nor Christ in me ; nevertheless, I do not so feel it as to 
seek him without intermission. O wretched man that 1 
am, who shall deliver me from this heart of unbelief? — 
Blessed be God, who has promised me this deliverance, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ ! 

"A few days ago, I was violently tempted to quit 
Madeley : the spirit of Jonah had so seized upon my 
heart, that I had the insolence to murmur against the 
Lord ; but the storm is now happily calmed, at least for 
a season. Alas ! what stubbornness is there in the will 
of man ; and with what strength does it combat the will 
of God under the mask of piety when it can no longer 
do so with the uncovered shameless face of vice ! If a 
man hridleth not his tongue, all his outward religion is 
vain. May we not add to this observation of St. James, 
that if a man bridleth not his will, which is the language 
of his desires, his inward religion is vain also ? The 
Lord does not, however, leave me altogether; and I 
have often a secret hope that he will one day touch my 
heart and my lips with a live coal from his altar ; and 
that then his word shall consume the stubble, and break 
to pieces the stone." 

Again a few weeks after he writes to the same, "I 
know not what to say to you of the state of my soul : I 
daily struggle in the slough of Despond, and I endeavour 
every day to climb the hill of Difficulty. I need wis- 
dom, mildness, and courage ; and no man has less of 
them than I. O Jesus, my Saviour, draw me strongly 
to Him who giveth wisdom to all who ask it, and up- 
braideth them not ! As to the state of my pa/ish, the 
prospect is yet discouraging. New scandals succeed 
those that wear away ; but offences must come : happy 
shall I be, if the offence cometh not by me !" 

16. He seems also to have had some scruples respect 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



67 



ing &on:e expressions in the Church service : alluding 
to a passage in the office for the public baptism of in 
fants, he observes in a letter to Mr. Charles Wesley 
September 20, 1762 :— 

" Truly you are a pleasant casuist. What ! ' it hath 
pleased thee to regenerate this infant with thy Holy 
Spirit, to receive him for thine own child by adoption, 
and to incorporate him into thy holy Church.' Does ail 
this signify nothing more than being taken into the visi- 
ble Church? 

" How came you to think of my going to leave Made- 
ley? I have, indeed, had my scruples about the above 
passage, and some in the burial service ; but you may 
dismiss your fears, and be assured I will neither marry, 
nor leave my Church, without advising with you. 
Adieu. Your affectionate brother, J. F." 

17. Beside the uncomfortable state in which he some- 
times found his soul, upon his first going to Madeley, he 
was discouraged by the smallness of the congregations, 
and the great opposition which he met with from per- 
sons of different descriptions. The first of these causes 
of discouragement, however, was soon removed. Within 
a year, it seems, of his first settling there, he writes to 
Mr. Charles Wesley, as follows : — 

" When I first came to Madeley I was greatly morti- 
fied and discouraged by the smallness of my congrega- 
tions ; and I thought that if some of our friends at Lon- 
don had seen my little company, they would have tri- 
umphed in their own wisdom ; but now, thank God, 
things are altered in that respect, and last Sunday I had 
the pleasure of seeing some in the church yard, who 
could not get into the church. I began a few Sundays 
ago to preach in the afternoon, after catechising the 
children ; but I do not preach my own sermons. Twice 
I read a sermon of Archbishop Usher's, and last Sunday 
one of the homilies, taking the liberty to make some 
observations on such passages as confirmed what I ad- 
vanced in the morning, and by this means I stopped the 
mouths of many adversaries." 

The church now, in a little time, began to be so crowd- 
ed that the church wardens, enemies, it seems, to God 
and his truth, began to speak of hindering strangers 
^persons of other parishes) from coming, and of repel- 



68 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



ling them from the Lord's Supper. But in these points 
Mr. Fletcher withstood them. It appears, however, that 
toward the latter end of the year the congregation began 
rather to decline. For, October 12, he writes to the 
same person : — 

" My church begins not to be so well filled as it has 
been, and I account for it by the following reasons 
The curiosity of some of my hearers is satisfied, and 
others are offended by the word ; the roads are worse, and 
if it should ever please the Lord to pour his Spirit upon 
us, the time is not yet come ; for instead of saying, Let 
us go up together to the house of the Lord, they exclaim, 
Why should vie go and hear a Methodist ? I should lose 
all patience with my flock, if I had not more reason to 
be satisfied with them than with myself. My own bar- 
renness furnishes me with excuses for theirs ; and I wait 
the time when God shall give seed to the sower, and in- 
crease to the seed sown. In waiting that time, I learn 
the meaning of this prayer, Thy will be done! Believe 
me your sincere, though unworthy friend, J. F." 

18. Although he did not immediately see much fruit 
of his labours, yet God soon gave him some proofs that 
his word was not altogether without its desired effect. 
In a letter written soon after his going to Madeley, he 
mentioned three persons who " professed that they had 
received the consolations of Divine love under his mi- 
nistry :" but, says he, 64 1 wait for their fruits." Another 
instance is mentioned by Mr. Wesley, which, it seems, 
occurred when he was under great discouragement : " A 
multitude of people had flocked together at a funeral. 
He seldom let these awful opportunities slip without 
giving a solemn exhortation. At the close of the exhort- 
ation which was then given, one man was so grievously 
offended that he could not refrain from breaking out into 
scurrilous, yea, menacing language. But notwithstand- 
ing all his struggling against it, the word fastened upon 
his heart. At first, indeed, he roared like a lion ; but he 
soon wept like a child. Not long after he came to Mr. 
Fletcher, in the most humble manner asking pardon for 
his past outrageous behaviour, and begging an interest 
in his prayers. This was such a refreshment as he stood 
in need of; and it was but a short time before the poo? 
broken-hearted sinner was filled with joy unspeakable 



LIFE OF REV. J, FLETCHER. 



69 



he then spared no pains in exhorting his fellow sinners 
to flee from the wrath to come." 

19. From the beginning Mr. Fletcher did not confine 
his preaching to the church, nor his labours to his own 
parish. Soon after his going to reside at Madeley, we 
find him expressing himself thus to a friend in one of 
his letters : " I have frequently had a desire to exhort in 
Madeley Wood, and Coalbrook Dale, two villages of my 
parish ; but I have not dared to run before I saw an 
open door : it now, I think, begins to open, as two small 
societies of twenty persons have formed themselves in 
those places." 

To a little society which he gathered about six miles 
from Madeley, he preached two or three times a w T eek, 
beginning at five in the morning. Nay, for many years 
he regularly preached at places eight, or ten, or sixteen 
miles off ; returning the same night, though he seldom 
got home before one or two in the morning. 

20. In these, his labours of love, however, although 
undertaken and prosecuted with the sole view of glorify- 
ing God, and saving souls from death eternal, he met with 
no little opposition and persecution. Indeed the highest 
degrees of piety to God, or of benevolence to mankind, 
are found insufficient to secure a man from the reproaches 
of the world. " On the contrary," as Mr. Gilpin has 
justly observed, " religion and virtue, when carried to 
an extraordinary pitch of excellence, have generally ex- 
posed the possessors of them to the slander of malevo- 
lence, and the rigours of persecution." Many were the 
instances of opposition which the enemies of God and 
his truth made to this holy and benevolent man ; and 
various were the snares which they laid to entangle him, 
out of all which, however, the Lord graciously deliver- 
ed him, not suffering them to hurt a hair of his head. 

One Sunday evening, after performing the usual duty 
at Madeley, he was about to set out for Madeley Wood 
to preach and catechise as usual. But just then notice 
was brought (which should have been given before) that 
a child was to be buried. His waiting till the child was 
brought prevented his going to the Wood. And herein 
the providence of God appeared. For, at this very 
time, many of the colliers, who neither feared God nor 
regarded men, were baiting a bull just by the place of 



70 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



preaching. And having had plenty of drink, they had 
all agreed, as soon as he came, to bait the parson. Part 
of them were appointed to pull him off his horse, and 
the rest to set the dogs upon him. But in the mean 
time the bull broke loose, and threw down the booth in 
which the gentlemen were drinking, and the people, fear- 
ing for themselves the evil they intended for him, were 
all dispersed ; while the serious friends, who had come 
together to hear him preach, were waiting for him in 
quietness and safety. 

21. But drunken colliers were not the only persons 
who opposed and persecuted him. Several of the gen- 
tlemen, as they were called, and even some of the neigh- 
bouring clergy and magistrates, set themselves against 
him from the first ; but without being able to accomplish 
their purpose. August 18, 1761, he writes as follows to 
Mr. Charles Wesley : — 

" I do not know whether I mentioned to you a sermon 
preached at the archdeacon's visitation. It was almost 
all levelled at the points which are called the doctrines 
of Methodism, and as the preacher is minister of a pa- 
rish near mine, it is probable he had me in his eye. After 
the sermon another clergyman addressed me with an air 
of triumph, and demanded what answer I could make. 
As several of my parishioners were present, beside the 
church wardens, I thought it my duty to take the matter 
up ; and I have done so by writing a long letter to the 
preacher, in which I have touched the principal mistakes 
of his discourse with as much politeness and freedom as 
I was able : but I have as yet had no answer. I could 
have wished for your advice before I sealed my letter ; 
but as I could not have it, I have been very cautious, 
intrenching myself behind the ramparts of Scripture, as 
well as those of our homilies and articles." 

About two months after he writes to the same friend : — 
" You have always the goodness to encourage me, and 
your encouragements are not unseasonable ; for discou- 
ragements follow one after another with very little inter- 
mission. Those which are of an inward nature are 
sufficiently known to you ; but some others are peculiar 
to myself, especially those I have had for eight days past 
during Madeley wake. Seeing that I could not suppress 
these bacchanals, I did all in my power to moderate their 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



71 



madness ; but my endeavours have had little or no effect ; 
the impotent dyke I opposed only made the torrent swell 
and foam, without stopping its course. You cannot well 
imagine how much the animosity of my parishioners is 
heightened, and with what boldness it discovers itself 
against me, because I preach against drunkenness, shows, 
and bull-baiting. The publicans and maltmen will not 
forgive me : they think that to preach against drunken- 
ness, and to cut t^eir purse, is the same thing." 

The 16th of May following, he says, "Since my last, 
our troubles have increased. A young man having put 
in force the act for suppressing swearing against a pa- 
rish officer, he stirred up all the other half gentlemen to 
remove him from the parish. Here I interposed, and to 
do so with effect, I took the young man into my service. 
By God's grace I have been enabled to conduct myself 
in this matter so as to give them no handle against me ; 
and in spite of all their cabals, I have got the better. 

"What has greatly encouraged them is the behaviour 
of a magistrate, who was at the first inclined to favour 
me, but afterward turned against me with peculiar ma- 
levolence, and proceeded as far as to threaten me, and 
all my flock of the Rock Church,* with imprison- 
ment. Hitherto the Lord has stood by me, and my little 
difficulties are nothing to me ; but I fear I support them 
rather like a philosopher than a Christian. We were 
to have been mobbed with a drum last Tuesday at the 
Rock Church, but their captain, a papist, behaved him- 
self so very ill that they were ashamed of him, and are 
made peaceable for the present. Ask of God to give 
me wisdom, resolution, and love." 

It appears by a letter of his, written to Mr. Charles 
Wesley in July following, that he presented the papist 
above mentioned at the succeeding visitation, although 
without effect. "Three weeks ago (says he) I went to 
Ludlow to the bishop's visitation, and I thought the occa- 
sion favourable for my purpose : but the church wardens, 
when we were upon the spot, refused to support me, and 
the court has paid no regard to my presentation. Thus 
I have gained some experience, though at my own cost. 

* The Rock Church were a company of well disposed people, 
who assembled for hearing the word, and prayer, at a small house 
built upon a rock, in Madeley Wood. 



12 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 



The sermon did not touch the string with which I was 
whipped the last visitation, and I afterward had the bold- 
ness to go and dine with the bishop. 

"Many of my parishioners are strangely disconcerted 
at my bringing my gown back from Ludlow. [They 
thought the bishop would have stripped him of it.] With 
respect to the magistrate I mentioned, who, because he 
acted as judge of the circuit two years ago, believes him- 
self as able a lawyer as Judge Foster; he, for the pre- 
sent, contents himself with threatenings. I met him the 
other day, and after he had called me Jesuit, &c, and 
menaced me with his cane, he assured me again that he 
would soon put down our assemblies. How ridiculous 
is this impotent rage ! 

" I have attempted to form a society, and in spite of 
much opposition and many difficulties, I hope, by God's 
grace, to succeed. I preach, I exhort, I pray, &c, but 
as yet I seem to have cast the net on the wrong side of 
the ship. Lord Jesus, come thyself, and furnish me 
with a Divine commission ! For some months past I 
have laboured under an insuperable drowsiness ; I could 
sleep day and night ; and the hours which I ought to 
employ with Christ on the mountain I spend like Peter 
in the garden." Thus we see this man of God was not 
without his infirmities. But these he always magnified. 

22. As the reader will probably wish to see a little 
farther account of this persecution, and of the behaviour 
of this good man under it, I shall insert here also an 
extract from another letter. In August of the same 
year (1762) he writes as follows to the same friend, in 
whom he always put entire confidence : — 

" I have received your last, and I rejoice that Dr. 
Turner, by whose skill the Lord once brought me up 
frorr. the grave, has undertaken your cure. May he 
have the same success with you that he had with me ; 
but, be that as it will, our comfort is to know that God 
will do all for the best. 

" I have still trials of all sorts. First, Spiritual ones. 
My heart is hard : I have not that contrition, that filial 
fear, that sweet, humble melting of heart before the 
Lord, which I consider as essential to spiritual Chris- 
tianity. 

" Secondly, The opposition made to my ministry 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



73 



increases. A young clergyman who lives in Madeley 
Wood, where he has great influence, has openly declared 
war against me, by pasting on the church door a paper, 
in which he charges me with rebellion, schism, and 
being a disturber of the public peace. He puts himself 
at the head of the gentlemen of the parish, (as they term 
themselves,) and supported by the recorder of Wenlock, 
he is determined to put in force the Conventicle Act 
against me. A few weeks ago, the widow who lives in 
the Rock church, and a young man who read and 
prayed in my absence, were taken up. I attended them 
before the justice, and the young clergyman with his 
troop were present. They called me Jesuit, &c, and 
the justice tried to frighten me by saying 6 that he would 
put the act in force, though we should assemble only in 
my own house.' I pleaded my cause as well as I could ; 
but seeing he was determined to hear no reason, I told 
him ' he must do as he pleased, and that if the act in 
question concerned us, we were ready to suffer all its 
rigours.' In his rage he went the next day to Wenlock, 
and proposed to grant a warrant to have me appre- 
hended ; but, as the other justices were of opinion that 
the business did not come under their cognizance, but 
belonged to the spiritual court, he was obliged to swal- 
low his spittle alone. The church wardens talk of put- 
ting me in the spiritual court, for meeting in houses, &c. 
But what is worst of all, three false witnesses offer to 
Drove upon oath that I am a liar ; and some of my fol- 
lowers (as they are called) have dishonoured their pro- 
fession, to the great joy of our adversaries. 

" In the midst of these difficulties I have reason to 
bless the Lord that my heart is not troubled. Forget 
me not in your prayers. Yours, J. F." 

23. Such was a part, and but a very small part, of the 
opposition which, from time to time, for many years, he 
met with. " His situation, with respect to the unworthy 
part of his parishioners," says Mr. Gilpin, "was similar 
to the situation of Daniel, with respect to the Babylonish 
courtiers : his whole conduct was so admirably regulated 
by circumspection and prudence, that malice itself could 
find no occasion against him, except concerning the law 
of his God. The voluptuary detested his temperance and 
self-denial ; the man of pride poured contempt upon his 

10 



74 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



humility and condescension ; the licentious were offended 
at his gravity and strictness ; and the formal were roused 
to indignation by that spirit of zeal and devotion which 
influenced his whole conversation and conduct. All of 
these, however they might differ among themselves, were 
leagued together as the inveterate enemies of this vene- 
rable pastor. They wrested his words, they misrepre- 
sented his actions, and cast out his name as evil. But, 
whatever he was called to suffer from the malice and 
opposition of his enemies, he endured it with the ut- 
most magnanimity and composure, not rendering evil 
for evil, or railing for railing ; but contrariwise, bless- 
ing. While some indignant professors are ready, with 
James and John, to command fire from heaven for the 
destruction of their opposers : and while others are 
inquiring with Peter, how often they are to meet their 
offending brethren with unfeigned forgiveness, he gave 
himself an example of that uncommon charity which 
4 suffereth long, and is kind ; which is not easily pro- 
voked, and thinketh no evil. When he was reviled, he 
reviled not again : when he suffered, he threatened 
not ; but committed himself to Him that judge th right- 
eously.' 

" Whether he was insulted in his person, or injured 
in his property ; whether he was attacked with open 
abuse, or pursued by secret calumny ; through the tes- 
timony of a good conscience, he walked amid the most 
violent assaults of his enemies, as a man completely in- 
vulnerable ; and while his firmness discovered that he 
was unhurt, his forbearance testified that he was unof- 
fended. His love was truly unconquerable : the cold 
waters of disrespect could not quench it, neither could 
floods of reproach drown it. Being reviled, he blessed; 
being persecuted, he suffered it; being defamed, he 
entreated ; provoking his enemies by every affectionate 
method to love and good works. Whenever he dis- 
cerned a virtue in the character of an adversary, he com- 
mended it, he magnified it, he rejoiced over it, and 
endeavoured to make it a medium of reconciliation. 
Whenever he discovered an enemy in distress, he hast- 
ened to meet him with tokens of generosity and kind- 
ness ; if he hungered, he fed him; if he thirsted, he 
gave him drink ; if he was oppressed, he maintained 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



75 



his cause ; if his heart was brought down through heavi- 
ness, he endeavoured to support and console him ; em- 
bracing, with thankfulness, every possible opportunity 
of heaping coals of fire on his head." 

24. It must be observed here, however, that the oppo- 
sition which some of his parishioners and others made 
to him, was of that nature, that he was constrained, al- 
though reluctant, to denounce upon them the judgments 
of God, and to warn them, if they did not repent, God 
would speedily cut them off. And the truth of these 
predictions, as I may not improperly term them, was 
shown over and over by their signal accomplishment. 
January 13th, 1768, he wrote to a friend as follows :— 

66 This evening I have buried one of the warmest op 
posers of my ministry, a stout, strong young man, aged 
twenty-four years. About three months ago, he came to 
the church yard with a corpse, but refused to come into 
the church. When the burial was over, I went to him 
and mildly expostulated with him. His constant answer 
was, 6 that he had bound himself never to come to church 
while I was there ; adding that he would take the con- 
sequences, <fec.' Seeing I got nothing, I left him, say- 
ing with uncommon warmth, (though as far as I can 
remember without the least touch of resentment,) 4 1 am 
clear of your blood ; henceforth it is upon your own 
head ; you will not come to church upon your legs, pre- 
pare to come upon your neighbours' shoulders.' 9 He 
wasted from that time, and to my great surprise hath 
been buried on the spot where we were when the con- 
versation passed between us. When I visited him in his 
sickness, he seemed tame as a wolf in a trap. O may 
God have turned him into a sheep in his last hours !" 

25. Many other instances might be produced, if need 
were, of God's confirming the word of his servant, and 
many were the indisputable proofs which were given in 
the parish and vicinity of Madeley, that the weapons of 
this eminent minister's warfare were mighty through 
God to the pulling down of strong holds. Indeed, as 
ae attacked sin in public and in private, under all its 
wonderful variety of appearances ; so he never quitted 
the charge till he had either subdued or put it to shame. 
(Jnawed either by numbers or by power, he was superior 
to all the opposition that could be raised against him ; 



76 LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 

and it may be confidently asserted that no man was able 
to stand before him all the days of his life. That he 
had enemies who were never subdued, will readily be 
granted : but that any of those enemies were hardy 
enough openly to encounter him, is absolutely denied. 
The despisers of religion considered him as a man of 
an undaunted spirit in the cause of God ; and the most 
daring among them, at the whisper of his approach, 
would seek the nearest shelter to screen themselves from 
his deserved rebuke. 

26. The weapon by which he was enabled to perform 
the most memorable of his public services, was that sa- 
cred word which is emphatically called the sword of the 
Spirit. In the exercise of this two-edged instrument 
he was expert beyond description, turning it every way 
for the defence of the Gospel, and the overthrow of its 
opposers. With this he cut in pieces all the snares of 
the wicked, and with this he struck at the deepest root 
of sin. With this he divided asunder soul and spirit, 
joints and marrow ; and wherever he aimed the deter- 
mined blow, it was impossible for all the address of the 
sinner effectually to ward it off. Upon this he chiefly 
depended for the success of his ministry, as the only 
weapon by which he could ever hope to penetrate 
through the prejudices of his people, and subdue their 
aversion to the glorious Gospel. While others are 
anxious to charm their hearers with " the studied orna- 
ments of artificial eloquence," his first care was, in sim- 
plicity and godly sincerity, to declare the truth as it is 
in Jesus. Had he aimed at celebrity as a public speak- 
er, furnished as he was with all the united powers of 
learning, genius, and taste, he might have succeeded be- 
yond many who are engaged in so insignificant a pur- 
suit. But his design was to convert, and not to capti- 
vate his hearers ; to secure their eternal interests, and 
not obtain their momentary applause. Hence, his speech 
and his preaching was not with enticing words of man's 
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of 
power. He spake as in the presence of God, and taught 
as one having Divine authority. There was an energy 
in his preaching that was irresistible. His subjects, his 
language, his gestures, the tone of his voice, and the 
turn of his countenance, all conspired to fix the atten* 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



77 



tion and affect the heart. Without aiming at sublimity, 
he was truly sublime ; and uncommonly eloquent with- 
out affecting the orator. 

27. " He was wondrously skilled in adapting himself 
to the different capacities and conditions of his hearers. 
He could stoop to the illiterate, and rise with the learn- 
ed ; he had incontrovertible arguments for the skeptic, 
and powerful persuasives for the listless believer ; he had 
sharp remonstrance for the obstinate, and strong con- 
solation for the mourner : and, like a scribe, thoroughly 
instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, he brought forth 
out of his treasures things new and old, as occasion re- 
quired. To hear him without admiration was impossible ; 
without profit, improbable. "The unthinking went from 
his presence under the influence of serious impressions, 
and the obdurate with kindled relentings. Many an 
unsuspecting trifler has he enclosed in the Gospel net, 
and many a happy captive has he led, in the course of 
his public ministry, from darkness to light, and from 
the power of Satan to God. I shall here transcribe a 
short passage from a letter addressed to me by one of 
the author's esteemed friends. 1 1 would rather have 
heard,' says the writer, 6 one sermon from Mr. Fletcher, 
viva voce, than read a volume of his works. His words 
were clothed with power, and entered with effect. His 
writings are arrayed in all the garb of human literature. 
But his living word soared on eagles' flight above human- 
ity. He basked in the sun, carried his young ones on 
his wings, and seized the prey for his Master. In short, 
his preaching was apostolic; while his writings, though 
enlightened, are but human? " 

28. But however quick, penetrating, and powerful, his 
word in general was, Mr. Fletcher was accustomed "to 
place his chief glory and pleasure in spreading abroad 
the benedictions of the Gospel. He considered the 
ministration of mercy as abundantly more glorious than 
the ministration of condemnation, and was disposed to 
magnify it as such upon all occasions. Experiencing in 
his own heart the inestimable effects of mercy, he was 
anxious that all men should be partakers of his joy : and 
whenever he was engaged in pointing out the source of 
that mercy, its nature, its design, or the different degree 
of its manifestation, he was then engaged in an employ- 



78 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



merit peculiarly suited both to his inclination and his 
state. These were subjects upon which he delighted to 
dwell, and upon which he had astonishing things to of- 
fer. His disposition to universal benevolence was con- 
spicuous through the whole of his spiritual progress, but 
especially in the latter years of his life, when his heart 
was as a vessel running over with Christian charity. As 
the holy ointment ran down from the head of Aaron to 
the very skirts of his clothing, so the charity of this ex- 
emplary pastor descended to, and embraced the very 
least and lowest of the human race. Wherever the 
smallest religious desire was expressed, he pronounced 
a blessing upon it ; and wherever the weakest endeavour 
after spiritual attainments was discoverable, he encou- 
raged it with his congratulations, and strengthened it with 
his prayers : nay, wherever impiety opposed him under 
its most malignant appearances, he met it with mingled 
commiseration and hope. Like a faithful imitator of 
the blessed Jesus, he came preaching peace, and breath- 
ing the most undissembled good will to all around him. 
Like his beneficent Master, he went about either doing, 
01 seeking to do good, in every possible way ; and where- 
ever he came, he appeared like some superior being, 
whose sole employment was to benefit and bless the 
children of men. In those houses where the sons and 
daughters of peace were found, he was welcomed as a 
messenger of the most joyful tidings, and honoured as 
an ambassador of Jesus Christ. These happy families 
submitted with joy to his paternal authority, and con- 
sidered his pastoral visits as an invaluable privilege. 
They looked upon the^r houses as consecrated by his 
prayers, and received his benedictions with reverence 
and gratitude." 

29. It is justly ob served, farther, by the same reverend 
and pious author, that " the weak and the wavering have, 
in every age, outnumbered the vigorous and unshaken 
professors of Christianity. Mr. Fletcher beheld in his 
day, with inexpressible concern, the increasing class of 
such unsteady believers : but, while he bewailed their 
instability, he allowed them an ample share of his affec* 
tion. Far from despising: the day of small things, he 
laboured with the most affectionate solicitude to strength- 
en the weak hand, and confirm the feeble knee of every 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



79 



wavering professor. His anxiety for their advancement 
in grace was discovered in every possible way, and his 
whole deportment toward them was marked with unusual 
tenderness and regard. He followed them with unwea- 
ried attention till he could discover the particular causes 
of their spiritual decay ; and when these were once 
ascertained, he employed the most laborious efforts for 
their removal. He carefully acquainted himself with 
the peculiar circumstances and disposition of the unsta- 
ble party, skilfully adapting both his language and his 
manner to the nature of their past attainments and their 
present deficiencies. He argued against their fears, he 
satisfied their doubts, he bewailed their lukewarmness, 
and reminded them of their privileges ; entreating or 
rebuking, consoling or censuring them, with all long- 
suffering. In the meantime he not only avoided, in his 
own conduct, whatever might have a tendency to offend 
or unsettle their minds, but admonished the stronger 
brethren to maintain toward their feeble companions a 
carriage regulated by more than ordinary circumspec- 
tion and kindness. 

" Thus, after having used every generous endeavour 
for the restoration of the weak, and after having removed 
every apparent obstacle from their path, in the spirit of 
supplication and prayer he would watch for their return. 
And wherever he perceived in them the first indications 
of a hoi}" resolution, it cannot be told with what melt- 
ings of heart he would fly to embrace them ; how gra- 
ciously he would condescend to their weakness, how 
carefully he would support their steps, and with how 
much affectionate counsel he would guide them in the 
way. On these occasions, especially, he put on bowels 
of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, 
and forbearance, exhibiting through his whole conduct 
a lovely imitation of that great Shepherd who gathers 
the lambs with his arm, and gently leads those that are 
with young." 

30. As a specimen of the manner in which he ad- 
dressed the weak in faith, I shall here lay before my 
readers an extract from some of his letters written about 
this time. To Mr. Vaughan, Sept. 4, 1762, he says, "I 
rejoice that you inquire where Christ maketh his flock 
to rest at noon. The rest fro* - the guilt and power of 



so 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



sin you will find only in inward holiness : and this 1 
apprehend to consist in what St. Paul calls the kingdom 
of God — righteousness, which excludes all guilt ; peace, 
which banishes all fear that hath torment ; and joy, 
which can no more subsist with doubts, anxiety, and 
unstableness of mind, than light can subsist with dark- 
ness. That there is a state wherein this kingdom is set 
up, firmly set up in the heart, you may see by our Lord's 
sermon on the mount, by his priestly prayer in St. 
John's gospel, chap, xvii, by the epistle of that apostle, 
and various parts of the epistles of St. Paul and St. 
James. 

" To aim aright at this liberty of the children of God 
requires a continual acting of faith — of a naked faith in 
a naked promise or declaration, such as, ' The Son of 
God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil : — 
The law of the spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, hath made 
me free fsom the law of sin and death : — I can do al) 
things, through Christ, who strengtheneth me.' By a 
naked faith in a naked promise, I do not mean a bare 
assent that God is faithful, and that such a promise in 
the book of God 7nay be fulfilled in me ; but a bold, 
hearty, steady venturing of my soul, body, and spirit 
upon the truth of the promise, with an appropriating 
act. It is mine, because I am a penitent sinner ; and 
I am determined to believe, come what will. Here yon 
must stop the ear of the mind to the suggestions of the 
serpent ; which, were you to reason with him, would 
be endless, and would soon draw you out of the simple 
way of that faith by which we are both justified and 
sanctified. 

" You must also remember that it is your privilege to 
go to Christ by such a faith now, and every succeeding 
moment : and that you are to bring nothing but a dis- 
tracted, tossed, hard heart ; just such a one as you have 
now. Here lies the grand mistake of many poor but 
precious souls : they are afraid to believe, lest it should 
be presumption, because they have not as yet comfort 
joy, love, &c. : not considering that this is to look foi 
fruit before the tree be planted. Beware, then, of look- 
ing for any peace or joy previous to your believing, 
and let this be uppermost in your mind. 

" The Lord make you wise as a serpent, and harrr. 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



8i 



less as the loving dove ; but beware of the serpent's 
food, dust; and the dove's bane, birdlime, I mean worldly 
cares. O, my friend, what is the world I — A flying 
shadow. As we fly through it, let us lose ourselves in 
the eternal substance. Farewell in the Lord. Yours, 

" J. F." 

Two months after, he writes thus to Miss Hatton : — - 
M I thank you for the confidence you repose in the ad- 
vice of a poor fellow sinner : may the Father of lights 
direct you through so vile an instrument ! If you build 
all your hopes of heaven upon Jesus Christ in all his 
offices, you do not build without a foundation, but upon 
the true one. 

; * That there is a seal of pardon, and an earnest of our 
inheritance above, which you are as yet a stranger to. 
seems clear from the tenor of your letter : but had I 
been in the place of the crentleman you mention, I would 
have endeavoured to lay it before you as the fruit of 
faith, and a most glorious privilege, rather than as the 
root of faith, and a thing absolutely necessary to the 
being of it. 

••I believe many people know when they receive 
faith, and all people, when they receive the seal of their 
pardon. When they believe in Christ, they are justified 
in the si^ht of God : and when they are sealed by the 
Spirit, they are fully assured of that justification in their 
own conscience. Some receive faith, and the seal of 
their pardon, in the same instant, as thejailer. <kc. : but 
others receive faith first, as the dying thief, the woman 
of Canaan, David, the people of Samaria. Acts viii, 12- 
16, and the faithful at Ephesus, Eph. i. 13. Suppose, 
then. God gave you faith, i. e.. a hearty trust in the 
blood of Christ, and a sincere closing with him. as your 
righteousness anu your all. while you received the 
sacrament, (which seems to me very probable, by the 
account you give me,) your way is exceeding plain be- 
fore you. Hold fast your confidence, but do not rest 
in it; trust in Christ, and remember he says, I am the 
way ; not for you to stop, but to run on in him. Re- 
joice to hear that there is a full assurance of faith to be 
obtained by the seal of God's Spirit, and go on from 
faith to faith, until you are possessed of it. But re- 
member this, and let this double advice prevent vour 

11 



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LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



straying to the right or left : — First, That you will have 
reason to suspect the sincerity of your zeal, if you lie 
down easy without the seal of your pardon, and the full 
assurance of faith. Secondly, While you wait for that 
seal in all the means of grace, beware of being unthank- 
ful for the least degree of faith and confidence in Jesus ; 
beware of burying one talent because you have not five ; 
beware of despising the grain of mustard seed, because 
it is not yet a tree. 

46 May the Lord teach you the middle path between 
resting short of the happiness of ' making your calling 
and election surej and supposing you are neither called 
nor chosen, and that God hath not yet truly begun his 
good work in you. You can never be too hold in be- 
lieving, provided you still aspire after new degrees of 
faith, and do not use your faith as a cloak for sin. The 
Lord despises not the day of small things ; only beware 
of resting in small things. And look for the seal and 
abiding witness of God's Spirit, according to the follow- 
ing direction : — 

' Restless, resign'd, for this I wait, 

For this my vehement soul stands still.' 

As to deep sights of the evil of sin, the more you go on, 
the more you will see Christ exceeding lovely, and sin 
exceeding sinful : therefore, look up to Jesus, as a vile 
and helpless sinner, pleading his promises : this is going 
on, and trust him for the rest. 

" With respec^to myself, in many conflicts and troubles 
of soul, I have consulted many masters of the spiritual 
life, but Divine mercy did not, does not suffer me to rest 
upon the word of a fellow creature. The best advices 
have often increased my perplexities ; and the end was 
to make me cease from human dependence, and wait 
upon God from the dust of self-despair. To him, there- 
fore, I desire to point you and myself, in the person of 
Jesus Christ. This incarnate God receives weary, per- 
plexed sinners still, and gives them solid rest. He teaches 
as no man ever taught ; his words have spirit and life ; 
nor can he possibly mistake our case. I am, madam, 
your fellow servant in the patience and kingdom of 
Jesus, J. F." 

To the same person he says in another letter, dated 
January 28th, 1763, "I share in the joy which your 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



83 



deliverance from your late trials gives to those who 
shared in your perplexity. Heaviness may endure for 
a night, but gladness cometh in the morning ; and when 
i t comes after a long uneasy night, it is doubly welcome, 
and deserves a double tribute of praises. O be not want- 
ing in that sweet duty ! — I mean praising from a sense 
of the Divine goodness, love, and patience toward us. 
Remember that you are brought from darkness to light, 
to show forth the praises of Him who calleth you ; and 
that your feet are set at liberty for you to run with 
patience the race of prayer and praise, self-denial and 
obedience, which the Lord hath set before you. 

"Would you go on comfortably and steadily for the 
time to come, beg of the Lord to give you grace to ob- 
serve the following advice. 1. Live above earthly and 
creature comforts. 2. Beware of flatness and luke- 
warmness : this, if not carried immediately to the Lord, 
ends often in darkness and deadness. 3. Value Divine 
comforts above all things, and prize Christ above all 
comforts, that if they should fail, you may still glory in 
the God of your salvation. 4. Let that which torments 
others make your happiness — I mean self-denial and 
renouncing your own will. 5. Be ready to yield with 
joy to every conviction of the Spirit of God. Be faith- 
ful to present grace, and aspire after a continual growth. 
6. Live the present moment to God, and avoid perplex- 
ing yourself about your past or future experience : by 
giving up yourself to Christ, as you are, and being will- 
ing to receive him now, as he is, leaving all the rest to 
him, you will cut up a thousand temptations by the 
roots." 

A few weeks after, he adds, "I am glad you persist in 
taking up your cross, and following the Captain of our 
salvation. You must expect many difficulties : some of 
your greatest trials may come from your dearest friends 
without, and your nearest part within. I have always 
found it profitable to expect the worst, for a temptation 
foreseen is half overcome. Let us count the cost daily, 
and learn to value all outward things as dung and dross, 
that we may win Christ. 

" My heart is at present full of an advice which I have 
just given, with some success, to the Israelites in the 
wilderness ab^ut this place: — Spend, in 'feeling after 



^4 LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 

Christ, by the prayer of such faith as you have, whether 
it be dark or luminous, the time you have hitherto spent 
in desponding thoughts, in perplexing considerations 
upon the badness or uncertainty of your state, and come 
now to the Lord Jesus with your present wants, daring 
to believe that he waits to be gracious to you. 4 Christ 
is the way. the highway to the Father, and a highway 
is as free for a sickly beggar as a glorious prince. If it 
be suggested, • You are too presumptuous to intrude 
without ceremony upon Him that is glorious in holi- 
ness, and fearful in praises.' answer in looking up to 
Je-us : — 

! Be it I myself deceive, yet I must. I must believe.' 
" I am with sincerity. &c, J. F." 

In August his words to this lady are. " I am heartily 
glad to rind that your heart is set upon obtaining the one 
thing needful. Christ in us, with all his graces, the hope 
of glory. I beg. in my Master's name, you would 
cherish the conviction of the need of this prize of your 
high calling, and pursue it in the new and living way in 
which the fathers trod, that of the cross, and that of 
faith. We travel in the first, by continually denying 
ourselves in the desire of the flesh, the desire of the 
eye. and the pride of life : and we advance in the second 
by aimins: at Christ, claiming Christ, embracing Christ, 
delighting and rejoicing in Christ receive I in the heart, 
through the channel of the Gospel promises. To be 
able to go on in the way of the cross and that of faith, 
you stand in need, madam, of much recollection and 
steady watchfulness over the workings of your own 
heart, and diligent attention to the whispers of Divine 
grace. That the Lord would powerfully enable us to 
run on with faith and patience, till we inherit the pro- 
mises, is the praver of. madam, vour servant in Christ, 

••J. F." 

31. The following directions, sent. I believe, about the 
same time, to this well disposed, but diffident friend, show 
still more fully how well qualified he was to strengthen 
the weak hands, and to speak a word in season to such as 
were weary : — ;i (1.) It is better to perish for believing 
wrong, than for not believing at all : venture, then, with 
Esther. If I perish. I perish. I had rather perish in 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



85 



trying to touch the sceptre of grace, than in indolently 
waiting till the King touches me with it. 

" (2.) Christ often reveals himself as a babe, a feeble 
infant. Do not you despise him in his lowest, weakest 
state : do not say to your Saviour, I will not receive 
thee, unless thou appear in a blaze of glorious light, 
Reject not the little leaven ; and if your grain of faith is 
small as a mustard seed, be the more careful not to throw 
it away as dirt. The Holy Ghost says, The light of 
the just shines more and more to the perfect day : and 
how feeble is the light of the early morning, now un- 
discernible from darkness ! 

•• (3.) Sin gives you your first title to the Friend of 
sinners, and a simple and naked faith the second. Do 
not then puzzle yourself about contrition, faithfulness, 
love, joy, power over sin, and a thousand such things, 
which Satan will persuade you you must bring to Christ. 
He will receive you gladly with the great mountain of 
sin : and the smallest grain of faith, at Christ's feet, will 
remove that mountain. 

" (4.) At the peril of your soul, do not puzzle yourself 
at present about joy or love. Only desire that this 
blessed Man may be your bridegroom, and that you may 
Srmly believe that he is so, because he hath given you 
his flesh and blood upon the cross : and continue believ- 
ing this, and trusting in him. Your business is with 
Jesus, with his free, unmerited love, with his glorious 
promises, <kc, &c. 4 

,; (5.) Strongly expect no good from your own heart : 
expect nothing but unbelief, hardness, unfaithfulness, 
and backsliding. And when you rind them there, be not 
shaken nor discouraged ; rather rejoice that you are to 
live by faith on the faithful heart of Christ, and cast not 
away your confidence, which hath great recompense of 
reward. 

" (6.) When you are dull and heavy, as will often be 
the case, remember to live on Christ, and claim the more 
by naked faith. I have not time to say more, but Jesus, 
whom you hold by the hem of his promise, will teach 
you all the day long. Look unto him and be saved, and 
remember he forgives seventy times seven. May his 
dawning love attend you till it is noonday in your soul; 
and pray for your unworthy servant, J. F." 



86 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 



32. It must be allowed that these directions were welJ 
adapted to beget faith in the unbelieving and diffident, in 
order to their obtaining justification and peace with God, 
and to strengthen that faith. In the meantime he was 
not wanting in giving other advices calculated to guard 
and improve it. To Mr. Vaughan he says, "As you 
desire me to tell you simply what I think of the state of 
your soul as described in your letter, I will do it as the 
Lord shall enable me. 

" I praise him that he has begun a good work in you, 
which I make no doubt he will finish, if you do not 
counteract the operations of his grace. Your having 
sometimes free access to the throne of grace, but soon 
falling back into deadness and darkness, is the common 
experience of many who walk sincerely, though slowly, 
toward Sion. It argues, on one side, the drawings of 
faith ; and on the other, the power of unbelief. I would 
compare such souls to the child of the patriarch who 
came to the birth, nay, saw the light of this world, and 
yet returned again into his mother's womb, until, after 
a greater struggle, he broke through all that was in his 
way, and left the place where he had been so long in 
prison. 

" If you fall short, yet be not cast down, but strive 
more earnestly to enter in at the strait gate. Watch 
more unto prayer, and pray for that faith which enables 
the believer now to lay hold on eternal life. Remember, 
*4iowever, that your prayers will not avail much, unless 
you deny yourself, and take up every cross, which the 
Lord suffers men, devils, or your own heart, to lay upon 
you. In the name of Jesus, and in the power of his 
might, break through all ; and you will find daily more 
and more, that Jesus is the light of the world, and that 
he who follows him, shall not walk in darkness. The 
peace of Jesus be with you. Farewell. J. F." 

To Miss Hatton, who seems to have been in a similar 
state of mind, he writes more largely as follows : — " You 
seem, madam, not to have a clear idea of the happiness 
of the love of Jesus, or, at least, of your privilege of lov- 
ing him again. Your dulness in private prayer arises 
from the want of familiar friendship with Jesus. To 
obviate it. go to your closet, as if you were going to 
meet the dearest friend you ever had : cast yourself 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



87 



mmediatel y at his feet, bemoan your coldness before him, 
extol his love to you, till your heart break with a desire 
to love him, yea, till it actually melts with his love. Be 
you, if not the importunate widow, at least the importu- 
nate virgin, and get your Lord to avenge you of your 
adversary — I mean your cold heart. 

" You ask from me some directions to get a mortified 
Bpirit. To get this get recollection. 

" Recollection is a dwelling within ourselves ; being 
abstracted from the creature, and turned toward God. It 
is both outward and inward. Outward recollection con- 
sists in silence from all idle and superfluous words ; and 
a wise disentanglement from the world, keeping to our 
own business, observing and following the order of God 
for ourselves, and shutting the ear against all curious 
and unprofitable matters. Inward recollection consists 
in shutting the door of the senses ; in a deep attention to 
the presence of God ; and in a continual care of enter- 
taining holy thoughts, for fear of spiritual idleness. — 
Through the power of the Spirit let this recollection be 
steady even in the midst of hurrying business : let it be 
calm and peaceable ; and let it be lasting. Watch and 
pray, lest you enter into temptation. 

" To maintain this recollection, beware of engaging 
too deeply, and beyond what is necessary, in outward 
things ; beware of suffering your affections to be en- 
tangled by worldly vanities, your imagination to amuse 
itself with unprofitable objects, and of indulging your- 
self in the commission of what are called small faults 

" For want of continuing in a recollected frame all the 
day, our times of prayer are frequently dry and useless, 
imagination prevails, and the heart wanders : whereas 
we pass easily from recollection to delightful prayer. 
Without this spirit there can be no useful self-denial, nor 
can we know T ourselves ; but where it dwells, it makes 
the soul all eye, all ear ; traces and discovers sin, repels 
its first assaults, or crushes it in its earliest risings. 

" But take care here to be more taken up with the 
thoughts of God than of yourself ; and consider how 
hardly recollection is sometimes obtained, and how 
easily it is lost. Use no forced labour to raise a parti- 
cular frame ; nor tire, fret, and grow impatient, if you 
have no comfort ; but meekly acquiesce and confess your 



88 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



self unworthy of it ; lie prostrate in humble submission 
before God, and patiently wait for the smiles of Jesus. 

" May the following motives stir you up to the pursuit 
of recollection. 1. Without it, God's voice cannot be 
heard in the soul. 2. It is the altar on which we must 
offer up our Isaacs. 3. It is instrumental^ a ladder (if 
I may be allowed the expression) to ascend to God. 4. 
By it the soul gets to its centre, out of which it cannot 
rest. 5. Man's soul is the temple of God — recollection 
the holy of holies. 6. As the wicked by recollection 
find hell in their hearts, so faithful souls find heaven. 
7. Without recollection all means of grace are useless, 
or make but a light and transitory impression. 

" If we would be recollected, we must expect to suffer. 
Sometimes God does not speak immediately to the heart ; 
we must then continue to listen with a more humble 
silence. Sometimes assaults of the heart or of the 
temper may follow, together with weariness, and a de- 
sire to turn the mind to something else : here we must be 
patient. By patience unwearied we inherit the promises. 

" Dissipated souls are severely punished. If any man 
abide not in Christ he is cast out as a branch — cast out 
of the light of God's countenance, and barrenness fol 
lows in the use of the means. The world and Satan 
gather and use him for their service. He is cast into 
the fire of the passions, of guilt, of temptation, and per- 
haps, of hell. 

"As dissipation always meets its punishment, so recol- 
lection never fails of its reward. After a patient waiting 
comes communion with God, and the sweet sense of his 
peace and love. Recollection is a castle, an inviolable 
fortress against the world and the devil ; it renders all 
times and places alike, and is the habitation where Christ 
and his bride dwell. 

" I give you these hints, not to set Christ aside, but 
that you may, according to the light and power given to 
you, take these stones and place them upon the chief 
corner stone, and cement them with the blood of Jesus, 
until the superstructure, in some measure, answer to the 
excellence of the foundation. I beg an interest in your 
prayers for myself and those committed to my charge, 
and am, with sincerity, madam, your servant for Christ's 
sake. J. F." 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



89 



These important advices were given March 5, 1764, 
and September following he adds : — " With respect to 
the hinderances your worldly business lays in the way 
of your soul, I would have you to be persuaded that 
they are by no means insurmountable. The following 
means, in due subordination to faith in Jesus, may, by 
the blessing of God, be of service to you : — 

46 (1.) Get up early, and save time before you go to 
business, to put on the whole armour of God, by close 
meditation and earnest prayer. 

"(2.) Consider the temptation that most easily besets 
you, whether it be hurry, or vanity, or lightness, or want 
of recollection to do what you do as unto God. Ponder 
the consequences of those sins, see your weakness to 
resist them, and endeavour to obtain a more feeling sense 
of your helplessness : when you have it, you will natu- 
rally watch unto prayer, and look to Christ for strength 
from moment to moment. 

" (3.) When your mind hath been drawn aside, do not 
fret, or let yourself go down the stream of nature, as if 
it were in vain to attempt to swim against it ; but confess 
your fault, and calmly resume your former endeavour, 
but with more humility and watchfulness. 

"(4.) Steal from business now and then, though for 
two or three minutes only, and in the corner where you 
can be least observed, pour out your soul in confession, 
or a short ejaculation at the feet of Jesus, for power to 
watch, and to believe that he can keep you watching. 
May you feelingly believe that he hath bought the power 
for you, and then, of a truth, you will find it done to 
you according to your faith. I am, <fcc, J. F." 

33. These extracts from his letters may serve to show 
us how this servant of the Lord Jesus was wont to exer- 
cise his ministry toward the weak and wavering, and 
how well the Lord had furnished him with grace and 
gifts for the important office of binding up the broken- 
hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives, and the 
opening of the prison to them that were bound. But 
this was not the only way in which he comforted those 
that mourned, and gave them " the garments of praise 
for the spirit of heaviness." 

34. "As the parish of Madeley was uncommonly 
populous, so it abounded with persons who, either 

12 



90 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



through infirmity or misfortune, were reduced to a state 
of indigence and distress. Over this despised and de- 
stitute part of his flock, Air. Fletcher was accustomed 
to watch with unusual attention and concern. He re- 
garded them as his peculiar charge, and exerted himself 
to the utmost for their encouragement and support. Not 
content with freely ottering them the consolations of 
the Gospel, he contributed largely to the relief of their 
temporal necessities, and generally divided among them 
the greater part of his income. He sought them out 
with the most industrious care, and expressed a great 
degree of thankfulness to any person who would direct 
him to the abodes of wretchedness and poverty. To 
such abodes, indeed, he was seldom a stranger, nor 
could any consideration prevail with him to pass them 
by. without attempting to dry up the tears, and supply 
the wants of their arHicted inhabitants. His daily walks 
were among the fatherless and the widows, the friend- 
less and the oppressed : and while he counted it his in- 
dispensable duty to labour for their relief, he considered 
that very labour as one of the sublimes! pleasures he 
was capable of enjoying. 

35. •• The profusion of his charity toward the poor 
and needy is scarcely credible : it constantly exhausted 
his purse, it frequently unfurnished his house, and some- 
times left him destitute of the most common necessaries. 
He was accustomed to make an exchange of state with 
his indigent brethren, freely bartering his ease for their 
wo. and his plenty for their penury. That he might feed 
the hungry, he led a life of abstinence and self-denial : 
that he might cover the naked, he clothed himself in 
the most homely attire ; and that he might cherish such 
as were perishing in a state of extreme distress, he sub- 
mitted to hardships of a very trying nature." He not 
only relieved their necessities himself, to the uttermost 
of his power, but was the mean of procuring help for 
them from others that were of greater ability. This ap- 
pears from his letters of thanks to some of those per- 
sons. James I d. Esq.. in particular, sent them fre- 
quent relief in different ways. "Yesterday, (says Air. 
Fletcher to that friend of the poor, in a letter, dated 
Madeley, March 30. 1767.) I received your kind letter ; 
and your kind present about a month a^o. It came safe, 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



91 



and is a large stock for the poor and me. The Lord re« 
turn it you in living water. May it flow like a never 
failing stream through your soul, and the souls of all 
that are near and dear to you ; that is, not only those 
of your own household, but also of the household of 
faith. What a pleasure to love all, and be a well wisher 
to all !" 

Again, in a latter dated March 26, 1769, he says to the 
same : — " Your rich present of meat came last week, 
and shall be distributed to the pious poor agreeably to 
your orders, as a proof that Jesus, the liberal Jesus, the 
Bread of life, is indeed risen, and lives in his members, 
who mutually aid and comfort each other. We are 
happy to receive your bounty, but you are more happy 
in bestowing it upon us : witness the words of Jesus, 
4 It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Neverthe- 
less, receive by faith the presents of the Lord, the gifts 
of his Spirit, and reject not the bread which came down 
from heaven, because the Lord gives it you with so much 
love." 

He writes to the same friend some time after, " I think 
I wrote my last two days before I received your bounty — 
a large hogshead of rice, and two cheeses. Accept the 
thanks of our poor and mine on the occasion. I distri- 
buted it on Shrove Tuesday, and preached to a nume- 
rous congregation on, 4 Seek ye first the kingdom of 
God and his righteousness, and all other things shall be 
added unto you.' May you and I find the bread we 
scattered that day, though it should not be till after many 
days. We prayed for our benefactor, that God would 
give him a hundredfold in this life, and eternal life, 
where life eternal will be no burden. I saw then what 
I have not often seen on such occasions, gladness with- 
out the appearance of envying on grudging." 44 But it 
is impossible (proceeds Mr. Gilpin) to declare in how 
many ways he discovered his tenderness toward the 
friendless, and to how many inconveniences he cheer- 
fully exposed himself, for the alleviation of their various 
distresses. He followed them to the most secret scenes 
of their wretchedness, and in all their afflictions he was 
afflicted ; he literally bore their several burdens, and 
freely drank of their sorrowful cup, that he might make 
room in it for a mixture of consolation and joy. He 



92 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame; he was 
a father to the poor, and a friend to him that had no 
helper ; the blessing of such as were ready to perish 
came upon him, and he caused the widow's heart to sing 
for joy. Such was the attention of this compassionate 
pastor to the necessitous among his people, and such 
was the liberality which he exercised toward them to 
the close of his life ; when a concern for their welfare 
accompanied him to his deathbed, where he tenderly 
bewailed their distresses, and earnestly recommended 
them to the favour of that God who had promised that 
the poor shall not always be forgotten. 

36. " The concern which Mr. Fletcher expressed for 
the relief of the unfortunate and afflicted, was truly un- 
common ; but his compassion was still more abundant 
toward the immoral and profane, whom he constantly 
regarded as the most miserable of men. While he 
detested vice, he pitied the vicious : and while he fled 
from sin, as from the face of a serpent, he turned to the 
sinner with the warmest emotions of benevolence and 
charity. Considering the wicked as poor beyond the 
power of expression, he joyfully presented them with 
the pearl of great price. He saw them wandering as 
sheep without a shepherd, and endeavoured to conduct 
them to the fold of God: he beheld them attempting to 
quench their thirst at the poisoned streams of worldly 
pleasure, and affectionately invited them to the fountain 
of living vmters : he saw them heedlessly rushing to the 
gates of death, and laboured to turn their feet into the 
way everlasting. 

" Animated with that burning charity, by which St. 
Paul was impelled to publish the Gospel from nation to 
nation, this evangelical preacher was constrained, not 
only within, but, as has been observed above, beyond 
the limits of his parish, to follow after the ignorant, the 
careless, and the abandoned, warning every man, ana 
teaching every m,an in all wisdom, that he might pre- 
sent every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Considering 
the business with which he was charged, as an employ- 
ment of the highest importance, without paying any 
servile attention to times or places, he lost no opportu- 
nity of executing the commission he had received. His 
highest wish was to convert the wicked from the error 



LIFE OF REV. J< FLETCHER. 



93 



of his way ; and in the course of so arduous an under- 
taking, he was prepared, at the command of his Lord, 
to go forth into the highways and hedges with the invi- 
tations of the Gospel : anxious to do the work of an 
evangelist, with all possible fidelity, and not ashamed 
that every hour and every place should bear testimony 
to the affectionate zeal with which he laboured for the 
welfare of the Church. 

37. " As the miser toils to increase his hoards, and as 
the ambitious person studies to advance his reputation 
\n the world : with equal assiduity and desire this holy 
man endeavoured to promote the reformation of the un- 
godly. Rising up early, and late taking rest, he was 
employed, either directly or indirectly, through the 
whole of the day, in hiring labourers into the service of 
his Lord. To engage their attention and excite their 
desire, he set before them the freedom of that service, 
the honours that attend it, and the rewards that follow 
it; to strengthen their feeble resolution, he joyfully 
offered them every brotherly assistance : and to shame 
their inactivity, he pointed them to the example of those 
who cheerfully bore all the burden and heat of the day. 
As an affectionate father conducts himself toward his 
disobedient children, reproving and alluring, admonish- 
ing and persuading them, with every affecting testimony 
of parental tenderness ; so this spiritual father conduct- 
ed himself toward the children of transgression and 
impiety, seeking, by every affectionate method, to en- 
gage them in the pursuit of that holiness without which 
no man shall see the Lord. 

38. " With respect to individuals, he was peculiarly 
careful to choose the fittest opportunities of conversing 
with them upon sacred subjects. In the day of their 
prosperity he sometimes spake to them as it were at a 
distance ; but in the day of their adversity he redoubled 
his efforts, and followed them with the most familiar 
attention ; fully persuaded that religious impressions 
can never be made in a more favourable season than 
when the heart has been softened by previous afflicting 
providences. Were they destitute of spiritual know- 
ledge ?- — he explained to them the mysteries of evange- 
lical truth. Were they presuming upon the mercy they 
had formerly abused ? — he awakened their fears by re- 



94 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



presentations of that righteous wrath which is revealed 
from heaven against all ungodliness. Were they 
doubtful of ever finding acceptance with God ? — he ani- 
mated their hopes, and encouraged them to a steady de- 
pendence upon the promises of God ; happily adapting" 
his several applications to the circumstances of his 
spiritual patients. Such was the ardent charity of this 
father in Christ toward the depraved and unbelieving, 
wherever he discovered them ; a charity which was fre- 
quently no less effectual in its operations, than powerful 
in its essence. A number of instances of this might be 
produced, if need were." 

39. It was his concern for the salvation of his parish- 
ioners, of whatever description, which induced him to 
write pastoral letters to them when at any time duty to 
others called him to commit them to the care of another 
minister for a few weeks. These letters, which are 
many in number, all breathe the spirit of deep humility, 
ardent zeal, and active disinterested benevolence, and 
show, in a striking light, how he watched over the souls 
of his people as one that must give an account. Justice 
to his character as a minister of Christ, and a servant 
of his Church, seems to require that I should insert at 
least one or two of. these, which shall be the first in or- 
der, written in the years 1765 and 1766. I refer those 
who wish to see more of them to the volume of his let- 
ters, published by the Rev. Melville Home. The for- 
mer is dated Bath, October 30, and is as follows : — 

" To those that love the Lord Jesus Christ, in ana 
about Madeley : Peace be multiplied to you from God 
the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, through 
the operations of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

" By the help of Divine Providence, and the assist- 
ance of your prayers, I came safe here. I was, and am 
still, a good deal weighed down under the sense of my 
own insufficiency to preach the unsearchable riches of 
Christ to poor dying souls. 

" This place is the seat of Satan's gaudy throne : the 
Lord hath, nevertheless, a few names here, who are not 
ashamed of him, and of whom he is not ashamed, both 
among the poor and among the rich. There are not 
many of the last, though blessed be God for any one : 
it is a great miracle if one camel passes through the eye 



LIFE OF REV. J FLETCHER. 95 

of a needle, or in other words, if one rich man enters 
into the kingdom of heaven. I thank God, none of you 
are rich in the things of this world. You are freed from 
a double snare, even from Dives' portion in this life. 
May you know the happiness attending your state ! It 
is a mercy to be driven to the throne of grace, even by 
bodily want, and to live in dependence on Divine mercy 
for a morsel of bread. 

" I have been sowing the seed the Lord hath given me 
both in Bath and Bristol, and I hope your prayers have 
not oeen lost upon me as a minister ; for though I have 
not been enabled to discharge my office as I would, the 
Lord hath yet, in some measure, stood by me, and over- 
ruled my foolishness and helplessness. I am much sup- 
ported by the thought that you bear me on your hearts, 
and when you come to the throne of grace to ask a 
blessing for me in the name of Jesus, the Lord doth in 
nowise cast you out. 

4 4 In regard to the state of my soul, I find, blessed be 
God, that as my day is, so is my strength to travel on, 
either through good or bad report. My absence from 
you answers two good ends to me : — I feel more my in- 
sufficiency, and the neea* of being daily ordained by 
Christ to preach his Gospel ; and I shall value the more 
my privileges among you, please God I return safely to 
you. I had yesterday a most advantageous offer made 
me of going, free of cost, to visit my mother, brothers, 
and sisters in the flesh, whom I have not seen for eigh- 
teen years ; but I find my relations in the spirit nearer 
and dearer to me than my relations in the flesh. I have, 
therefore, rejected the kind offer, that I may return among 
you, and be comforted by the mutual faith both of you 
and me. 

* I hope, dear brethren, you improve much under the 
ministry of that faithful servant of God, Mr. Brown, 
whom Providence blesses you with. Make haste to 
gather the honey of knowledge and grace as it drops 
from his lips ; and may I find the hive of your hearts 
so full of it on my return, that I may share with you in 
the heavenly store. In order to this, beseech the Lord 
to excite your hunger and thirst for Jesus' flesh and 
blood, and to increase your desire of the sincere milk 
of the word. When people are hungry they will find 



96 



LIFE OF RE V. J. FLETCHER. 



time for their meals, and a good appetite does not think 
a meal a day too much. As you go to your spiritual 
meals do not forget to pray all the way, and to feast 
your souls in hopes of hearing some good news from 
heaven, and from Jesus, the faithful, loving Friend 
whom you have there : and when you return, be sure to 
carry the unsearchable riches of Jesus' dying and rising 
love home to your houses, in the vessel of a believing 
heart. 

" Let your light be attended with the warmth of love. 
Be not satisfied to know the way to heaven, but walk in 
it immediately, constantly, and joyfully. Be all truly in 
earnest : you may, indeed, impose upon your brethren, 
by a formal attendance on the means of grace, but you 
cannot deceive the Searcher of hearts. Let him always 
see your hearts struggling toward him ; and if you fall 
through heaviness, sloth, or unbelief, do not make a bad 
matter worse, by continuing helpless in the ditch of sin 
and guilt. Up, and away to the fountain of Jesus' blood. 
It will not only wash away the guilt of past sins, but 
strengthen you to tread all iniquity under your feet foi 
the time to come. Never forget that the soul of the dili- 
gent shall be made fat, and that the Lord will spew the 
lukewarm out of his mouth, unless he gets that love 
which makes a person fervent in spirit, diligent in busi- 
ness, serving the Lord. 

" You know the way to get this love is, 1. To consider 
the free mercy of God, and to believe in the pardoning 
love of Jesus, who died the just for the unjust to bring us 
to God. 2. To be frequently, if not constantly applying 
this faith, with all the attention of your mind, and all the 
fervour of your heart, 6 Lord, I am lost, but Christ hath 
died.' 3. To try actually to love, as you can, by setting 
your affections on Christ, whom you see not ; and for his 
sake, on your brethren, whom you do see. 4. To use 
much private prayer for yourselves and others ; and to 
try to keep up that communion with God and your absent 
brethren. I beg, in order to this, that you will not for- 
sake the assembling of yourselves together, as the man- 
ner of some is : and when you meet as a society, be 
neither backward, nor forward to speak. Esteem your- 
selves every one as the meanest in company, and be glad 
to sit at the feet of the lowest. If you are tempted against 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



97 



any one, yield not to the temptation, and pray much for 
that love which hopes all things, and puts the best con- 
struction even upon the worst of failings. I beg, for 
Christ's sake, I may find no divisions nor offences among 
vou on my return. 'If there be any consolation in 
Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the 
Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that 
ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one 
accord, and of one mind. Let nothing be done through 
strife or vain glory ; but in lowliness of mind let each 
esteem other better than themselves.' 

44 1 earnestly request the continuance of your prayers 
for me, both as a minister, and as your companion in 
tribulation. Ask particularly that the Lord would keep 
me from hurting his cause in these parts ; and that when 
Providence shall bring me back among you, I may be 
more thoroughly furnished for every good work. Par- 
don me, if I do not salute you all by name : my heart 
does it, if my pen does not. That the blessing of God 
in Jesus Christ may crown all your hearts, and all your 
meetings, is the earnest prayer of, my very dear bre- 
thren, yours, &c, J. F." 

The other letter to which I referred was written about 
a year after, from Oakhall, which place and neighbour- 
hood he seems to have had a peculiar reason for visiting 
at this time. It is in the following words : — 

fi< To those who love or fear the Lord Jesus Christ at 
Madeley : Grace, peace, and love, be multiplied to you 
from our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

44 Providence, my dear brethren, called me so sud- 
denly from you, that I had not time to take my leave, 
and recommend myself to your prayers. But I hope 
the good Spirit of our God, which is the Spirit of love 
and supplication, has brought me to your remembrance, 
as the poorest and weakest of Christ's ministers, and 
consequently as one whose hands stand most in need of 
being strengthened and lifted up by your prayers. Pray 
on then for yourselves, for one another, and for him 
whose glory is to minister to you in holy things, and 
whose sorrow it is not to do it in a manner more suit- 
able to the majesty of the Gospel, and more profitable 
to your souls. 

44 My heart is with you, and yet T bear patiently this 

13 



98 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



bodily separation for three reasons. First, the variety 
of more faithful and able ministers, whom you have 
during my absence, is more likely to be serviceable to 
you, than my presence among you : and I would always 
prefer your profit to my satisfaction. Secondly, I hope 
Providence will give me those opportunities of convers- 
ing and praying with a greater variety of experienced 
Christians, which will tend to my own improvement, 
and, I trust, in the end, to yours. Thirdly, I flatter 
myself that, after some weeks' absence, my ministry will 
be recommended by the advantage of novelty, which, 
the more the pity, goes farther with some than the word 
itself. In the meantime, I shall give you some advice, 
which, it may be, will prove both suitable and profitable 
to you. 

" 1. Endeavour to improve daily under the ministry 
which Providence blesses you with. Be careful to attend 
it with diligence, faith, and prayer. Would it not be a 
great shame if, when ministers come thirty or forty miles 
to offer you peace and pardon, strength and comfort, in 
the name of God, any of you should slight the glorious 
message, or hear it as if it were nothing to you, and as 
if you heard it not? See, then, that you nevercome 
from a sermon without being more deeply convinced of 
sin and of righteousness. 

" 2. Use more prayer before you go to church. Con- 
sider that your next appearance there may be in a cof- 
fin ; and entreat the Lord to give you now so to hunger 
and thirst after righteousness that you may be filled. 
Hungry people never go fasting from a feast. Call to 
mind the text I preached from the last Sunday but one 
before I left you, — Wherefore, laying aside all ma- 
lice, tyc, 1 Peter ii, 1. 

" 3. When you are under the word, beware of sitting 
as judges rather than as criminals. Many judge of the 
manner, matter, voice, and person of the preacher. You, 
perhaps, judge all the congregation, when you should 
judge yourselves worthy of eternal death, and yet worthy 
of eternal life, through the worthiness of Him who stood 
and was condemned at Pilate's bar for you. The mo- 
ment you have done crying to God as guilty, or thank- 
ing Christ as reprieved criminals, you have reason to 
conclude that this advice is levelled at you. 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



99 



" 4. When you have used a mean of grace, and do not 
8nd yourselves sensibly quickened, let it be a matter of 
deep humiliation to you. For want of repenting of their 
unbelief and hardness of heart, some get into a habit of 
deadness and indolence ; so that they come to be as insen- 
sible, and as little ashamed of themselves for it, as stones* 

" 5. Beware of the inconsistent behaviour of those 
ivho complain they are full of wanderings, in the even- 
ing, under the word, when they have suffered their minds 
to wander from Christ all the day long. O ! get ac- 
quainted with him, that you may walk in him, and with 
him. Whatsoever you do or say, especially in the 
things of God, do or say it as if Christ were before, be- 
hind, and on every side of you. Indeed he is so, whether 
you consider it or not ; for if, when he visibly appeared 
on earth, he called himself the Son of man who is in 
heaven, how much more then is he present on earth 
now, that he makes his immediate appearance in hea- 
ven ? Make your conscience maintain a sense of his 
blessed presence all the day long, and then all the day 
long you will have a feast. For can you conceive any 
thing moie delightful than to be always at the fountain 
of love, beauty, and joy ; — at the spring of power, wis- 
dom, goodness, and truth ? Can there be a purer and 
more melting happiness than to be with the best of 
fathers, the kindest of brothers, the most generous of 
benefactors, and the tenderest of husbands ? Now Jesus 
is all this, and much more to the believing soul. O ! 
believe, my friends, in Jesus now, through a continual 
now. And until you can thus believe, mourn over your 
unbelieving hearts ; drag them to him, as you can; think 
of the efficacy of his blood shed for the ungodly, and 
wait for the spirit of faith from on high. 

" 6. Some of you wonder why you cannot believe ; 
why you cannot see Jesus with the eye of your mind, 
and delight in him with all the affections of your heart. 
I apprehend the reason to be one of these, or, perhaps, 
all of them : — 

" First, You are not poor, lost, undone, helpless sin- 
ners in yourselves. You indulge spiritual and refined 
self-righteousness ; you are not yet dead to the law, and 
quite slain by the commandment. Now the kingdom 
of heaven belongs to none but the poor in spirit. Jesus 



100 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



came to save none but the lost. What wonder, then, if 
Jesus be nothing to you, and if you do not live in his 
kingdom of peace, righteousness, and joy in the Holy 
Ghost. 

" Secondly, Perhaps you spend your time in curious 
reasonings, instead of casting yourselves down, as for- 
lorn sinners, at Christ's feet : leaving it to him to bless 
you when, and in the manner, and degree he pleases, 
Know that he is the wise and sovereign Lord, and that 
it is your duty to lie before him as clay — as fools — as 
sinful nothings. 

" Thirdly, Perhaps some of you wilfully keep idols 
of one kind or other ; you indulge some sin against light 
and knowledge, and it is neither matter of humiliation, 
nor confession to you. The love of praise, of the world, 
of money, and of sensual gratifications, when not lament- 
ed, are as implacable enemies to Christ as Judas and 
Herod. How can you believe, seeing you seek the ho- 
nour that cometh of men ? Hew, then, your Agags in 
pieces before the Lord : run from your Delilahs to Jesus : 
cut off the right hand, and pluck out the right eye that 
offends you. Come out from among them, and be se- 
parate, saith the Lord, and I will receive you. Never- 
theless, when you strive, care not to make yourself a 
righteousness of your strivings. Remember that meri- 
torious, justifying righteousness is finished and brought 
in, and that your works can no more add to it than your 
sins can diminish from it. Shout, then, the Lord our 
righteousness ; and if you feel yourselves undone sin- 
ners, humbly, yet boldly say, In the Lord I have right- 
eousnesss and strength. 

" When I was in London I endeavoured to make the 
most of my time ; that is to say, to hear, to receive, and 
practise the word. Accordingly I went to Mr. White- 
field's tabernacle, and heard him give his society a most 
excellent exhortation upon love. He began by observ- 
ing, 'That when the Apostle St. John was old, and past 
walking and preaching, he would not forsake the as- 
sembling himself with the brethren, as the manner of 
too many is, upon little or no pretence at all. On the 
contrary, he got himself carried to their meeting, and 
with his last thread of voice, preached to them his final 
sermon, consisting of this one sentence, 8 My little chiU 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



101 



dren, love one another.'' I wish, I pray, I earnestly be- 
seech you, to follow that evangelical, apostolical advice ; 
and till God make you all little children, little in your 
own eyes, and simple as little children, give me leave to 
say, my dear brethren, love one another, and of course 
judge not, provoke not, and be not shy of one another ; 
but bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of 
Christ. Yea, bear with one another's infirmities, and do 
not easily cast off any one ; no, not for sin, except it be 
obstinately persisted in. 

fct My sheet is full, and so is my heart, of good wishes 
for you, and ardent longings after you all. When I re- 
turn, let me have the comfort of finding you all believ- 
ing and loving. Farewell, my dear brethren. The bless- 
ing of God be with you all ! This is the earnest desire 
of your unworthy minister, J. F." 

40. The same concern for the spiritual welfare of his 
flock, together with the very mean opinion which he 
had formed of himself, induced him from time to time 
to invite other ministers to visit his parish, and assist him 
to make known to the inhabitants thereof the riches of 
the grace of God. The Rev. Mr. John Wesley fre- 
quently visited him ; and many are the invitations which 
we find to Mr. Charles Wesley, in his letters to that 
servant of God. Nor did he confine his invitations to 
ministers of the Established Church, but requested the 
aid even of such as had not been episcopally ordained. 
In or about the year 1764, he writes as follows to Mr. 
Mather, a well known and eminent preacher in Mr. 
Wesley's connection : — " I desire you will call at the 
Bank* as often as you have opportunity. An occasional 
exhortation from you or your fellow labourer, at the 
Bank, Dale, will be esteemed a favour ; and I hope 
that my stepping, as Providence directs, to any of your 
places (leaving to you the management of the societies) 
will be deemed no encroachment. In short we need not 
make two parties : I know but one heaven below, and 
that is Jesus' love ; let us both go and abide in it, and 
when we have gathered as many as we can to go with 
us, too many will still stay behind." May 27, 1766, he says 
to a friend : — " The coming of Mr. Wesley's preachers 

* A place about five miles from his parish, on which he had be- 
stowed much labour 3 and where he had gathered a small society. 



102 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



into my parish gives me no uneasiness. As I am sensi- 
ble that every body does better, and of course is more ac- 
ceptable than myself, I should be sorry to deprive any 
one of a blessing ; and I rejoice that the work of God 
goes on by any instrument or in any place." 

41. Nor did he refuse the help even of such as differ- 
ed from him in judgment, and that as to points which 
have been always thought, in the Christian Church, of 
considerable importance, supposing he had reason to 
think that they loved our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. 
It is well known that he was firmly established in the 
belief of the doctrine of general redemption ; yet he 
was glad to receive any pious minister of a contrary sen- 
timent, and to give him an opportunity of calling sinners 
to repentance in his parish. This appears from the fol- 
lowing letter to the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, dated 
Madeley, May 18, 1767, which speaks of Capt. Scott as 
having preached at Madeley, on Mr. Fletcher's invita- 
tion, and urges Mr. Whitefield to visit them also for the 
same purpose. I insert this letter here, because it is a 
striking picture of the state of his mind at this time, and 
breathes that spirit of humility, benevolence, and zeal, 
for which he was so conspicuous through his whole life. 

"Rev. and Dear Sir, — I am confounded when I re- 
ceive a letter from you ; present and eternal contempt 
from Christ and all his members is what I deserve. A 
sentence of death is my due ; but instead of it, I am 
favoured with lines of love. God write a thousand, for 
them, upon your own heart ! and help you to read, with 
still more triumphant and humbler demonstrations of 
gratitude, redeeming love, so deeply engraven upon the 
palms of our Saviour's hands, and to assist many thou 
sands more to spell out the mysterious words ! 

" Your mentioning my poor ministrations among yom 
congregation opens again a wound of shame that was but 
half healed. I feel the need of asking God, you, and 
your hearers, pardon for weakening the glorious matter 
of the Gospel, by my wretched broken manner ; and 
spoiling the heavenly power of it, by the uncleanness 
of my heart and lips. I should be glad to go and be 
your curate some time this year ; but I see no opening, 
nor the least prospect of any. What between the dead 
and the living, a parish ties one down more than a wife. 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



103 



If I could go anywhere this year it should be to York- 
shire, to accompany Lady Huntingdon, according to a 
design that I had half formed last year ; but I fear that 
I shall be debarred even from this. I set out, God will- 
ing, to-morrow morning for Trevecka, to meet her lady- 
ship there, and to show her the way to Madeley, where 
she proposes to stay three or four days, in her way to 
Derbyshire. What chaplain she will have there, I know 
not; God will provide. I rejoice that though you are 
sure of heaven, you have still a desire to inherit the 
earth, by being a peace-maker. Somehow you will en- 
joy the blessing that others may possibly refuse. 

" Last Sunday sevennight, Captain Scott preached to 
my congregation a sermon which was more blessed, 
though preached only upon my horseblock, than a hun- 
dred of those I preach in the pulpit. I invited him to 
come and treat her ladyship next Sunday with another, 
now the place is consecrated. If you should ever favour 
Shropshire with your presence, you shall have the cap- 
tain's or the parson's pulpit at your option. Many ask 
me whether you will not come to have some fruit here 
also ; what must I answer them ? I, and many more 
complain of a stagnation of the work. What must we 
do ? Every thing buds and blossoms about us, yet our 

winter is not over. I thought Mr. N , who hath 

been three weeks in Shropshire, would have brought 
the turtle dove along with him ; but I could not prevail 
upon him to come to this poor Capernaum. I think I 
hardly ever met his fellow for a judicious spirit. Still, 
what hath God done in him and me ? I am out of hell, 
and mine eyes have seen also something of his salva- 
tion ; though I must and do gladly yield to him and all my 
brethren, yet I must and will contend that my being in 
the way to heaven makes me as rich a monument of 
mercy as he or any of them. O that I may feel the 
wonderful effect, of the patience that is manifested to- 
ward me ! Lord, break me, and make me a vessel capa- 
ble of bearing thy name, and the sweet savour of it, to 
my fellow sinners ! Ask this for me, dear sir, and pre- 
sent my Christian respects to Mrs. Whitefield, Mr. 
Hardy and Keen, Mr. Joyce, Croom, and Wright. Tell 
Mr. Keen I am a letter in his debt, and postponed writ- 
ing till I have had such a sight of Christ as to breathe 



104 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



his love through every line. I am, Rev. and dear sir 
with, blessed be God, a measure of sincere affection and 
respect, vour willing, though halting and unworthy ser- 
vant, J. F." 

42. The inexpressible concern which he felt for the 
enlargement of the kingdom of Christ, and the salvation 
of souls, induced him not only to speak concerning Divine 
things in all companies, where he had any prospect of 
doing good thereby ; but also, as we have already seen, 
to write spiritual letters from time to time to sundry per- 
sons, friends, or strangers, who appeared to need advice, 
reproof, or consolation, and especially to such as were 
afflicted. The reader may find many of these in that 
small collection of his letters before mentioned, published 
first in 1791, and since then frequently republished. All 
these letters are excellent, especially those which are 
addressed to persons under affliction. For the sake of 
such as have not the volume at hand, and to give the 
reader a farther specimen of his manner of writing to his 
friends, particularly such as had laid him under obliga- 
tions by their favours, or were in a state of affliction, I 
shall here insert two of his letters written about this 
time. To one from whom he seems to have received a 
present of some articles of wearing apparel, he writes 
as follows : — 

" My Very Dear Friend, — The providence of our 
good God brought me safe here last Thursday, loaded 
with a sense of your excessive kindness and my excess- 
ive unworthiness of it. Your Araunahlike spirit shames 
and distresses me : I am not quite satisfied about your 
evasions with respect to the bill ; and though I grant it 
more blessed to give than to receive. I think you should 
not be so selfish as to engross all that blessedness to 
yourself. Nevertheless I drop my upbraidings, not to 
lose that time in them which I should save to thank you, 
and to praise Jesus. I thank you, then, for all your 
favours, but above all for your secret prayers for a poor, 
unworthy, unprofitable wretch, who deserves neither the 
name of a minister, nor of a Christian. If you are so 
kind as to continue them, (which I earnestly beg you 
will.) I beseech you pray that I may have power to tarr\ 
at the footstool of Divine mercy for a day of penteco? 



i 

LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 105 

till I am endued with power from on high for the work 
of the ministry and the blessings of Christianity. 

" I know hot whether I am wrong in this respect, but 
I expect a power from on high to make me what I am 
not — an instrument to show forth the praises of the Re- 
deemer, and to do some good to the souls of my fellow 
creatures. Until this power come, it appears to me that 
I spend my paltry strength in vain, and that I might 
almost as well sit still. But I know I must keep row- 
ing, though the wind be contrary, till Jesus come walk- 
ing upon the waters, though it were in the last watch 
of the night. 

" You see that while you praise on the top of the 
mountain, I hang my untuned harp on the mournful wil- 
low at the bottom. But Jesus was in Gethsemane as 
well as on Tabor, and while he blesses you, he sympa- 
thizes with me. But this is speaking too much about 
self; good and bad self must be equally denied, and He 
that is 4 the fulness of Him who fills all in all,' must fill 
my thoughts, my desires, my letters, and my all. Come, 
then, Lord, come and drop into our souls, as the dew 
into Gideon's fleece ; drop thy blessing on these lines, 
and may thy sweet name, Jesus, Emanuel, God with 
us, be as ointment and rich perfumes poured upon my 
dear sister's soul ! Spread thy wings of love over her ; 
reward her a hundredfold in temporal and spiritual bless- 
ings, for the temporal and spiritual mercies she hath 
bestowed upon me as thy servant ; and vouchsafe to 
make and keep me such ! 

" I want you to write to me what you think of the life 
of faith, and whether you breathe it without interrup- 
tion ; whether you never leave that rich palace — Christ, 
to return to that dungeon, self ; what your feelings are 
when faith is at its lowest ebb, and when it acts most 
'powerfully ? I should be glad also if you would answer 
these questions, What views have you of another world ? 
"What sense have you of the nearness of Christ ? What 
degree of fellowship with the souls nearest your heart? 
What particular intimations of the will of God in intri- 
cate affairs and material steps ? and whether you can 
reconcile the life of faith with one wrong temper in the 
heart ? 

" If you are so good as to answer these questions at 
14 



106 



LIFE OF RtV, J. FLETCHER. 



large, you will oblige me more than if you were to send 
me two hundred waistcoats and as many pair of stock- 
ings. Jesus is life, love, power, truth, and righteous- 
ness. Jesus is ours : yea, he is over all, through all, 
and in us all. May we so fathom this mystery, and so 
evidence the reality of it, that many may see, and fear, 
and turn to the Lord ! My kind love and thanks wait 
upon your sisters, &c. Farewell in Jesus. Pray for 
your obliged unworthy servant, J. F." 

To Miss Ireland, who was under affliction, and ap- 
proaching fast toward her great and final change, his 
words are : — 

" December 5, 1768. 

M My Dear Afflicted Friend, — I hear you are re- 
turned from the last journey you took in sea/ch of bodilv 
health. Your heavenly Father sees fit to deny it you, 
not because he hateth you, (for whom the Lord loveth 
he chaste neth.) but because health and life might be fatal 
snares to your soul, out of which you could not escape, 
but by tedious illness and an early death. Who knows, 
also, whether by all you have suffered, and still suffer, 
our gracious Lord does not intend to kill you to the flesh 
and to the world, and both to you ? Besides, our hearts 
are so stupid, and our insensibility is so great, that the 
Father of our spirit sees it necessary to put some of his 
sharpest and longest thorns into our flesh to make us go 
to our dear Jesus for the balmy graces of his Spirit. 

M I believe some are driven out of all the refuges of 
crafty and indolent nature only by the nearest and last 
approaches of that faithful minister and servant of Christ 
— Death. Of this I had a remarkable instance no longer 
ago than last Monday., when God took to himself one 
of my poor afflicted parishioners, a boy of fifteen years 
of acre, who was turned out of the inrirmary two years 
ago as incurable. From that time he grew weaker every 
day by the running; of a wound : but his poor soul did 
not gather strength. In many respects one would have 
thought his afflictions were lost upon him. He seemed 
to rest more in his sufferings, and in his patience under 
them, than in the Saviour's blood and righteousness. 
Being worn to a skeleton, he took to his deathbed ; 
where I found him the week before last with his candle 
burning in the socket, and no oil seemingly in the ves- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



107 



sel. I spent an hour in setting before him the greatness 
of his guilt in this respect, that he had been so long 
under the rod of God, and had not been whipped out of 
his careless unbelief to the bosom of Jesus Christ. He 
fell under the conviction, confessed that particular guilt, 
and began to call on the Lord with all the earnestness 
his dying frame would allow. This was on Wednes- 
day, and on the Wednesday following, the God who de- 
livers those that are appointed to die, set one of his feet 
upon the Rock, and the next Sunday the other. He had 
chiefly used that short petition of the Lord's prayer, Thy 
kingdom come ; and spent his last hours in testifying, 
as his strength would allow, that the kingdom was come, 
and he was going to the King, to whom he invited his 
joyful mournful mother to make the best of her way 
after him. Five or six days before his death, my wicked, 
unbelieving heart might have said, To what purpose 
hath God afflicted so long and so heavily this poor 
worm ? But the Lord showed that he had been all that 
while driving the spear of consideration and conviction, 
till at last it touched him in a sensible part, and made 
him cry to the Saviour in earnest. And who ever called 
upon him in vain I Xo one. Not even that poor indo- 
lent collier boy, who for two years would not so much 
as cross the way to hear me preach. Yet how good was 
the Lord ! because his body was too weak to bear any 
terrors in his mind, he showed him mercy without. The 
moment I heard him pray, and saw him feel after a Sa- 
viour, my fears on his account vanished ; and though he 
had not been suffered to testify so clearly of God's king- 
dom, yet I should have had a joyful hope that God had 
taken him home. 

" Like the poor youth and myself, you have but one 
enemy, my dear friend — an indolent, unbelieving heart ; 
but the Lord hath driven it to a corner, to make you cry 
to Him who hath been waiting at the door all these years 
of trouble, to bring you pardon, peace, and eternal life, 
in the midst of the pangs of bodily death. Jesus is 
his name. Salvation and love are his nature. He is the 
Father of eternity — your Father of course. All the love 
that is in Mr. Ireland's breast is nothing to the abyss 
of love that is in your Creator's heart. A mother may- 
forget her sucking child, but I will not forget thee, 



108 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



says he, to every poor distressed soul that claims his 
help. 

" O fear not, my friend, to say, I will arise and go to 
this Father, though I have sinned greatly against Hea- 
ven, and in his sight. Lo, he rises, and runs to meet 
and embrace you. He hath already met you in the vir- 
gin's womb ; there he did so cleave to your flesh and 
spirit, that he assumed both, and wears them as a pledge 
of love to you. Claim in return, claim as you can, his 
blood and Spirit. Both are now the property of every 
dying sinner that is not above receiving, by faith, the 
unspeakable gift. 

" Your father has crossed the sea for you. Jesus has 
done more. He hath crossed the abyss that lies between 
heaven and earth, between the Creator and the creature. 
He has waded through the sea of his tears, blood, and 
agonies, not to take you to the physician at Montpelier, 
but to become your Physician and Saviour himself, to 
support you under all your bodily tortures, to sanctify 
all your extremities, and to heal your soul by his mul- 
tiplied stripes. Your father has spared no expense to 
restore you to health ; but Jesus, who wants you in your 
prime, hath spared no blood in his veins to wash you 
from your sins, write your pardon,- and seal your title 
to glory. 

66 O my friend, delay not cheerfully to surrender your- 
self to this good Shepherd. He will gladly lay you on 
the arm of his power, torn as you are with the bruises 
of sin and disease, and will carry you triumphantly to 
his heavenly sheepfold. Look not at your sins without 
beholding his blood and righteousness. Eye not death 
but to behold through that black door your gracious 
Saviour, saying, Fear not, O thou of little faith, where- 
fore dost thou doubt ? Consider not eternity but as the 
palace where you are going to enter with the Bride- 
groom of souls, and rest from all your sins and miseries 
View not the condemning law of God, but as made 
honourable by Him who was a curse for you, and bore 
the malediction of the law, by hanging, bleeding, and 
dying, on the cursed tree in your place. If you think 
of hell, let it be to put you in mind to believe that the 
blood of God incarnate hath quenched its devouring 
flames. If you have no comfort, mistrust not Jesus on 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



109 



that account ; on the contrary, take advantage from it 
to give greater glory to God by believing, as Abraham, 
in hope against hope. And let this be your greatest 
comfort, that Jesus, who had all faith and patience, cried 
for you in his dying moments, My God, my God, why 
hast thou forsaken me ? As your strength will bear 
exertion, and his grace apprehended will allow, surren- 
der yourself constantly to him as the purchase of his 
blood, and invite him earnestly to you as a poor worm 
perishing without him. In this simple Gospel way wait 
the Lord's leisure, and he will comfort your heart. He 
will make all his goodness to pass before you here, or 
take you hence to show you, what you could not bear in 
flesh and blood, the direct beams of the uncreated beauty 
of your heavenly Spouse. 

" I hope you take care to have little or nothing else 
mentioned to and about you, but his praises and pro- 
mises. Your tongue and your ears are going to be silent 
in the grave ; now or never use them to hear and speak 
good of his name. Comfort your weeping friends. Re- 
prove the backsliders. Encourage seekers. Water, 
and you shall be watered. Death upon you makes you, 
through Christ, a mother in Israel. Arise, as Deborah, 
Remember the praying, believing, preaching, though 
dying thief; and be not afraid to drop a word for Him 
who openeth a fountain of blood for you in his dying, 
tortured body. Suffer, live, die at his feet — and you will 
soon revive, sing, and reign in his bosom for evermore. 
Farewell in the Conqueror of death and Prince of life. 

" J. F." 

43. The pious lady addressed in the preceding letter, 
died, it appears, soon after, arid we find Mr. Fletcher, in 
March following, comforting her father on the event of 
her death, and of the affliction of Mrs. Ireland and a 
sister. Indeed he had most tenderly sympathized with 
him in his sorrow during her affliction, and laboured to 
prepare his mind, by his consolatory letters and conver- 
sation, for the change which, it was but too evident, was 
daily approaching. 

" Uncertain as I am," says he, the July preceding, 
" whether your daughter is yet alive, or whether the 
Lord hath called her from this vale of darkness and 
tears, I know not what to say to you on the subject, but 



110 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



this, that our heavenly Father appoints all things for the 
best. If her days of suffering are prolonged, it is to 
honour her with a conformity to the crucified Jesus ; if 
they are shortened, she will have drunk all her cup of 
affliction; and I flatter myself that she has found, at the 
bottom of it, not the bitterness and the gall of her sins? 
but the honey and wine of our Divine Saviour's right- 
eousness, and the consolations of his Spirit. 

" I had lately some views of death, and it appeared to 
me in the most brilliant colours. What is it to die, but 
to open our eyes after the disagreeable dream of this 
life, after the black sleep in which we are buried on this 
earth 1 It is to break the prison of corruptible flesh and 
blood, into which sin hath cast us ; to draw aside the 
curtain, to cast off the material veil which prevents us 
from seeing the supreme Beauty and Goodness face to 
face. It is to quit our polluted and tattered raiment, to 
be invested with robes of honour and glory; and to be- 
hold the Sun of righteousness in brightness without an 
interposing cloud. O my dear friend, how lovely is 
death, when we look at it in Jesus Christ ! To die is one 
of the greatest privileges of the Christian. 

" If Miss Ireland is still living, tell her a thousand 
times that Jesus is the resurrection and the life ; that he 
hath vanquished and disarmed death ; that he hath 
brought life and immortality to light ; and that all things 
are ours, whether life or death, eternity or time. These 
are those great truths upon which she ought to risk, or 
rather to repose her soul with full assurance. Every 
thing is shadow and a lie in comparison of the reality 
of the Gospel. If your daughter be dead, believe in 
Jesus, and you shall find her again in Him who fills all 
in all, who encircles the material and spiritual world in 
his arms ; — in the immense bosom of his Divinity. 

" I have not time to write to Mrs. Ireland ; but I en- 
treat her to keep her promise, and to inform me what 
victories she has gained over the world, the flesh, and 
sin. Surely when a daughter is dead or dying, it is 
high time for a father and a mother to die to all things 
below, and aspire, in good earnest, to that eternal life 
which God has given us in Jesus Christ. Adieu, my 
dear friend. Yours, J. F." 

Again, October 14, he writes : — " If the last efforts of 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



Ill 



the physicians fail with respect to Miss Ireland, it will 
at least be a consolation to you to know that they have 
been tried. When the last reed shall break under her 
hand, that will be the great signal to her to embrace the 
cross and the Crucified, the Tree of life and the fruit it 
bears, which give everlasting health and vigour. When 
we consider these things with an evangelical eye, we 
discover that every thing dies. Things visible are all 
transitory ; but invisible ones abide for ever. If Christ 
is our life and our resurrection, it is of little importance 
whether we die now or thirty years hence ; and if we 
die without embracing him, by dying now we shall have 
abused his mercies thirty y ears less than if we had lived 
so many years longer. Everything turns out well, both 
life and death, our own and that of those who are near 
to us." 

After receiving tidings of her death, he sayss— 
" My Dear Friend, — The Lord is desirous of making 
you a true disciple of his dear Son, the man of sor- 
rows, by sending you affliction upon affliction. A sister 
and a wife, who appear to hasten to the grave, in which 
you have so lately laid your only daughter, place you in 
circumstances of uncommon affliction. But in this see 
the finger of Him who works all in all, and who com- 
mands us to forsake all to follow him. Believe in him , 
believe that he does all for the best, and that all shall 
work for good to those who love him, and you shall see 
the salvation of God : and with your temptations and 
trials he shall open a door of deliverance for you and 
yours. His goodness to your daughter ought to encou- 
rage your faith and confidence for Mrs. Ireland. Offer 
her upon the altar, and you shall see that, if it be best 
for her and you, his grace will suspend the blow which 
threatens you." 

Two months afterward he adds : — " I sympathize with 
you with all my heart, and I pray that you may have 
patience and wisdom proportioned to your difficulties. 
You must take up your cross, and pray in secret, like a 
man whose earthly cisterns are broken on every side, 
and who hath need of consolation from feeling the fount- 
ain of living water springing up in his soul unto eternal 
life. I have every moment need to follow the advice I 
give to you ; but my carnal mind makes strong resist- 



112 



LIFE OF REV. 



J. FLETCHER. 



ance. I must enter into life by death : I must be cruci- 
fied on the cross of Christ before I can live by the power 
of his resurrection. The Lord give us grace to die to 
ourselves ; for it is not enough to die to our relatives. 
Blessed indeed is that union with Jesus Christ by which 
a believer can cast upon that Rock of ages, not only his 
burdens, but himself — the heaviest burden of all. O 
Lord, give us power to believe with that faith which 
works by the praver of confidence and love ! 

" I am, &c, " J. F." 

Thus this man of God laboured to be useful in every 
possible way. By preaching, conversing, writing ; by 
instructing, reproving, encouraging, exhorting; by warn- 
ing and beseeching ; by word and deed ; by acting and 
suffering; and especially by letting his light shine be- 
fore men, and exhibiting to their view an example of 
sincere and genuine piety and virtue, he endeavoured, 
with the most ardent zeal and unwearied diligence, to 
advance the honour and interest of his Divine Master. 
At home and abroad, in company and alone, in public 
and in private, he ceased not to keep in view and prose- 
cute his great and important design. 

But although, as will readily be allowed by every un- 
prejudiced reader of this narrative, " he (Gilpin- s Notes) 
was far more abundant in his public labours than the 
greater part of his companions in the holy ministry ; 
yet, 5 ' as Mr. Gilpin justly observes, " these bore but 
little proportion to those internal exercises of prayer 
and supplication to which he was wholly given up in 
private. The former, of necessity, were frequently dis- 
continued, but the latter were almost uninterruptedly 
maintained from hour to hour. He lived in the spirit 
of prayer ; and whatever employments he was engaged 
in, this spirit was constantly manifested through them 
all. Without this he neither formed any design, nor 
entered upon any duty : without this, he neither read, 
nor conversed ; without this, he neither visited, nor re- 
ceived a visitant. 

" Before I was of sufficient age," proceeds the last 
mentioned reverend author, " to take holy orders, I 
thankfully embraced the offered privilege of spending a 
few months beneath the roof of this exemplary man to 
whom I was at that time an entire stranger ; and I well 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 113 

remember how solemn an impression was made upon 
my heart by the manner in which he received me. He 
met me at his door, with a look of inexpressible benig- 
nity ; and conducting me by the hand into his house, 
intimated a desire of leading me immediately into the 
presence of that God to whom the government of his 
little family was ultimately submitted. Instantly he fell 
upon his knees, and poured out an earnest prayer that 
my present visit might be rendered both advantageous 
and comfortable, that the secret of the Lord might rest 
upon our common tabernacle, and that our society might 
be crowned by an intimate fellowship with that promised 
Immanuel in whom all the families of the earth are call- 
ed to inherit a blessing. This may serve as a specimen 
of the manner in which he was accustomed to receive 
his guests. 

45. " In his social prayers he paid but little attention 
to those rules which have been laid down with respect 
to the composition and order of these devotional exer- 
cises. As the Spirit gave him utterance, so he made his 
requests known unto God. But, while he prayed with 
the Spirit, he prayed with the understanding also.. His 
words flowed spontaneously, and without any premedi- 
tation, yet always wonderfully adapted to the occasion. 
Nothing impertinent, artificial, or superfluous, appeared 
in his addresses to God : and while he presented those 
addresses, there was a solemnity and animation in his 
manner which tended not only to edify, but to quicken 
and exalt the soul. There have been seasons of suppli- 
cation in which he appeared to be carried out far beyond 
the ordinary limits of devotion ; when, like his Lord 
upon the mount, while he has continued to pour out his 
mighty prayer, the fashion of his countenance has been 
changed, and his face has appeared as the face of an 
angel. None, except those who have frequently joined 
with him in this enlivening duty, can have any just con- 
ception of the manner in which he performed it. They 
who have enjoyed this privilege have seen and felt what 
is not to be described : and to others it can only be said 
that his prayer was the prayer of faith, always fervent, 
often effectual, and invariably a mingled flow of suppli 
cation and gratitude, humility and confidence, resigna 
tion and fervour, adoration and love. 

15 



114 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 



46. " By the ardour of his social prayers, some judg* 
ment may be formed of his secret supplications : but of 
his frequent vehement struggles, and unutterable breath- 
ings, in these private exercises, He alone can judge who 
seeth in secret. His deepest and most sensible commu- 
nications with God were enjoyed in those hours when 
the door of his closet was shut against human creatures 
as well as human cares. And though he rejoiced to lift 
up his hands in company with his friends, yet when his 
heart was at any time peculiarly inflamed with desire, 
or pressed with affliction, he would say to his friends, 
as Christ to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and 
pray yonder. His closet was the favourite retirement, 
to which he constantly retreated, whenever his public 
duties allowed him a season of leisure. Here he was 
privily hidden, as in the presence of God. Here he 
would either patiently wait for, or joyfully triumph in 
the loving kindness of the Lord. Here he would plunge 
himself into the depths of humiliation ; and from hence, 
at other seasons, as from another Pisgah, he would take 
a large survey of the vast inheritance which is reserved 
for the saints. Here he would ratify his solemn engage- 
ments to God ; and here, like the good King Hezekiah, 
he would spread the various circumstances of his people 
at the feet of their common Lord. In all cases of diffi- 
culty he would retire to this consecrated place to ask 
counsel of the Most High ; and here, in times of uncom- 
mon distress, he has continued during whole nights in 
prayer before God. 

47. " At one period of his life he was brought into 
such an intricate situation that he was wholly at a loss 
to discover what God required at his hand : and such 
was the difficulty before him, that the opinions of his 
most experienced friends could afford him but little light 
with respect to it. In this state, for three months suc- 
cessively, he spread the intricacies of his case before the 
Judge of all the earth, entreating that he would direct 
the course of his conduct, by the order of his providence, 
and the influence of his Spirit. His request was con- 
tinued till an answer was obtained, which was not till 
the wall of his chamber could exhibit a proof of his vehe- 
ment intercession ; that part of it, against which he was 
accustomed to kneel, appearing deeply stained with the 



LIFE OF REV. Jo FLETCHER. 



115 



breath he had spent in fervent supplication : such was 
the ardour of his spirit, and such the devotion of his 
heart ! The above circumstance was discovered by some 
about him who were well acquainted with his manner in 
trying situations. 

48. " His preaching was perpetually preceded, accom- 
panied, and succeeded by prayer. Before he entered 
upon the performance of his duty he requested of the 
great Master of assemblies a subject adapted to the con- 
ditions of his people ; earnestly soliciting for himself 
wisdom, utterance, and power ; for them a serious frame, 
an unprejudiced mind, and a retentive heart. This ne- 
cessary preparation for the profitable performance of his 
ministerial duties was of longer or shorter duration, ac- 
cording to his peculiar state at the time : and frequently 
he could form an accurate judgment of the effect that 
would be produced in public by the languor or enlarge- 
ment he had experienced in private. The spirit of prayer 
accompanied him from the closet to the pulpit ; and 
while he was outwardly employed in pressing the truth 
upon his hearers, he was inwardly engaged in pleading 
that last great promise of his unchangeable Lord, / am 
with you alway, even unto the end of the world. 

" From the great congregation he again withdrew to 
his sacred retreat, there requesting in secret that a bless- 
ing might accompany his public labours, and that the 
seed which he had sown, being treasured up in honest 
and good hearts, might sooner or later become abun- 
dantly fruitful. 

49. " While it is here recorded that this faithful ser- 
vant of God was accustomed to pray without ceasing, it 
must be noted, at the same time, as a distinguishing part 
of his character, that in every thing he gave thanks. 
His heart was always in grateful frame, and it was his 
chief delight to honour God by offering him thanks and 
praise. Frequently, when he has been engaged in re- 
counting the gracious dealings of God with respect to 
himself, or his signal favours conferred upon the Church, 
he has broken out in a strain of holy rejoicing, O that 
men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, 
and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children 
of men ! He considered every unexpected turn of pro- 
vidence as a manifestation of his Father's good pleasure, 



116 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



and discerned causes of thanksgiving, either obvious of 
latent, in every occurrence. Thus, either in the expec- 
tation, or in the possession of promised mercies, he 
rejoiced evermore. The immediate causes of his joy 
were manifold, public and private, spiritual and tem- 
poral ; but they all were swallowed up in the advance- 
ment of Christ's kingdom upon earth. This he con- 
sidered as a subject of universal rejoicing, and for this 
he more especially desired to praise the name of God 
with a song, and to magnify it with thanksgiving. 

50. " As he has justly expressed in his Portrait of St. 
Paul, p. 103, second edition, ' Pastors who pray for their 
flocks, pray not in vain. Their fervent petitions are 
heard, sinners are converted, the faithful are edified, and 
thanksgiving is short]y joined to supplication.' With 
respect to himself it was abundantly so. The seed which 
he had watered with his tears, and followed with his 
prayers, produced at length a plentiful harvest. His 
ministry was attended with unusual success, and a 
considerable body of his people saluted each other as 
brethren in Christ. His exultation over these, in their 
regenerate estate, was equal to his former solicitude on 
their account ; and as often as an occasion has presented 
itself of leading a penitent prodigal into the household 
of God, his carriage has been marked with every possible 
demonstration of joy. Leading the returning wanderer 
into his spiritual family, he would cry out, with a coun- 
tenance full of holy triumph, 4 If there be joy in the pre- 
sence of the angels of God over one sinner that re- 
pen teth, then it is meet that we should rejoice and be 
glad together this day, for this my son was dead and is 
alive again, he was lost and is found.' His joy was 
continually receiving some accession of this kind. From 
year to year, sinners were converted from the error of 
their ways, and believers were built up in their most 
holy faith ; while he appeared among them as a happy 
father, rejoicing in their prosperity, and blessed in the 
blessings of his spiritual children. 

" Such were the different states of earnest prayer, and 
joyful praise, with which this evangelical preacher was 
deeply acquainted, and which mutually preceded and 
succeeded each other in his Christian experience. 

51. " It was observed to the disgrace of the ancient 



LIFE OF REV. J, FLETCHER. 



117 



scribes, that they bound heavy burdens upon others, 
which they themselves refused to touch with one of their 
fingers : and their uncharitable conduct, in this respect, 
was publicly condemned by the blessed Jesus, who pro- 
nounced the severest judgments upon their self-indul- 
gence. Contrasted with the carriage of those illiberal 
pretenders to piety, the conduct of Mr. Fletcher ap- 
peared in a truly admirable and exemplary point of 
view. Far from subjecting others to those hardships 
and restraints which he refused to impose upon himself, 
he cheerfully endeavoured to lighten the burdens of his 
brethren, though it was by redoubling his own. He 
laboured to quicken, and not to retard the progress of 
the weak and inexperienced. He compassionated their 
defects, and made excuse for their constitutional infirmi- 
ties, in the manner of his gracious Master, who kindly 
apologized for the inattention of his sleeping disciples. 

" He studied to present the religion of Jesus in its 
most alluring form, not as a vial of wrath, but as a cup 
of consolation ; not as a galling yoke, but as a sacred 
tie ; not as a depressing burden, but as a never failing 
support. When he beheld the incautious entangled in 
the mazes of temptation, he tenderly lamented the 
effects of their indiscretion ; and instead of throwing 
unnecessary impediments in the way of their escape, he 
affectionately laboured to break through the snare, and 
deliver the captive. If his brother was overtaken in a 
fault, he endeavoured to restore him in the spirit of 
meekness ; if his conscience was wounded with a sense 
of guilt, he hastened to meet him with healing remedies ; 
if he was overwhelmed with the dread of his besetting 
sin, and harassed with the apprehension of future mis- 
carriages, he encouraged him to come boldly to the 
throne of grace, that he might obtain mercy, and find, 
grace to help him in every time of need. In his whole 
deportment toward the ignorant and unfaithful, he copied 
the character of a skilful and affectionate preceptor, 
who keeps future difficulties as far removed as possible 
from the view of his pupils, accommodating their exer- 
cises to their several capacities, overlooking their past 
negligence, supplying their present deficiencies, and 
mentioning their poor attain memts with commendation 
and praise. 



IIS 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



52. " But while his conduct toward others was mark- 
ed with unusual lenity and tenderness, he exercised the 
strictest severity with regard to himself. He sought 
after an entire conformity to the perfect will of God. 
And to accelerate his progress toward this desirable 
state, he cheerfully renounced his natural habits, and 
resolutely opposed his own will, unweariedly labouring 
to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of 
Christ. He struggled against the most innocent of his 
infirmities ; he entered upon the most painful exercises ; 
and refused to allow himself in the least temporary in- 
dulgences which were not perfectly consistent with a 
life of unfeigned mortification and self-denial. He en- 
gaged himself in every kind of spiritual labour, with the 
most intense application, suffering no talent to remain 
unoccupied, nor any moment to pass by unimproved : 
and so perfectly was he inured to habits of Christian 
industry, that he never discovered an inclination to 
sweeten the most laborious exercises with those refresh- 
ments and relaxations which he esteemed not only allow- 
able, but, in some cases, necessary to his weaker bre- 
thren. Considering himself as a member of Christ's 
militant Church, he complained of no hardships, nor 
thought any difficulty too great to be encountered in the 
course of his warfare. He was careful to act, in every 
instance, consistently with his high profession ; train- 
ing himself up to spiritual hardness and activity, by a 
resolute attention to the strictest rules of Christian dis- 
cipline ; preferring the path of duty before the lap of 
repose ; neither listening to the suggestions of fear, nor 
regarding the dictates of worldly prudence : stifling 
even the necessary calls of nature that he might follow, 
with less interruption, the leadings of grace ; and finally 
counting neither ease, nor interest, nor reputation, nor 
even life itself, dear to him, that he might finish his 
course with joy" 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



119 



CHAPTER V. 

Of the excursions he made to different places ; his first visit to 
his native country ; his office and usefulness at Trevecka; and cf 
the steps whereby he was led to write on controversial subjects. 

1. Although Mr. Fletcher was attached in no com- 
mon degree to those among whom he was appointed to 
labour ; and although his endeavours were chiefly exer- 
cised for their spiritual benefit ; yet was his heart en- 
larged also toward all the children of God, by whatever 
name they were distinguished, or wherever the bounds 
of their habitation were fixed. And he was ready, at all 
times, as far as his duty to his parishioners would per- 
mit, to minister to them the word of life. 64 Consider- 
ing himself as a debtor (Gilpin's Notes) both to the 
Greeks and to the barbarians, he was ready, had it been 
possible, to have visited the uttermost parts of the earth 
with the truths of the Gospel : and wherever a Christian 
Church was established, he appeared deeply interested 
in its welfare, expressing a vehement desire that it might 
be regulated in all things as the house of God, and be- 
come, to happy thousands, the gate of heaven. When 
the members of any distant Church were represented as 
exemplary for their faith, their zeal, or their love, he re- 
ceived the report of their advancement in grace with de- 
monstrations of the sincerest joy, and publicly expressed 
his gratitude to that great Master of assemblies who hath 
pleasure in the prosperity of his servants. When the 
professors of Christianity in any part of the world were 
observed to grow weary of well doing, either declining 
from the faith of the Gospel, or neglecting to walk 
worthy of their high vocation ; his heart was penetrated 
on their account with the most lively concern ; he 
lamented their instability in secret, and watered his couch 
with his tears. When the spiritual vine, in some remote 
part of the vineyard, appeared to be in danger from the 
fury of the oppressor ; when her hedges were broken 
down and her fruit torn away by the hand of persecu- 
tion, he entered deeply into the distresses of the suffer- 
ing Church , he fasted, he wept, he prayed, making con 
tinual intercession before the great Lord of the vineyard, 



120 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



that he would look down from heaven and visit the 
plant which he had formerly strengthened for himself; 
that, spreading forth its boughs again unto the sea, 
and its branches unto the river, the hills might be cover- 
ed with the shadow of it, and the land be filled with its 
fruits. 5 ' 

2. With a view to promote the cause of Christ, which, 
of all other causes, lay nearest to his heart, he made 
excursions from time to time, not only into sundry towns 
and villages of the neighbourhood, but to more distant 
parts of the kingdom. A person who was an eye wit- 
ness of the following transaction informed Mr. Joseph 
Taylor, that in or about the year 1T65 he and Mr. Sel- 
lon, of Breedon, in Leicestershire, supplied each other's 
Churches for a few Sabbaths. While Mr. Fletcher re- 
mained at Breedon, people of various descriptions flock- 
ed to hear him from all the parishes adjacent. The 
clerk being much offended at seeing such crowds attend, 
because it occasioned a little more labour in cleaning 
the church, determined that persons from other parishes 
should not be admitted without paying each one penny. 
For this purpose he placed himself at the church door, 
and began to collect the money from them. A man who 
was grieved at the conduct of the clerk, went to meet 
Mr. Fletcher, and informed him of it. Mr. Fletcher 
hastened up the hill, saying, "I will stop his proceed- 
ing." The clerk, seeing Mr. Fletcher approach, quitted 
the post he had taken, and went to his desk. When 
the service was ended, Mr. Fletcher said to the congre- 
gation, "I have not felt my spirit so moved these six- 
teen years last past as I have done to-day. I have heard 
that the clerk of this parish has demanded and has act- 
ually received money from divers strangers before he 
would suffer them to enter the church. I desire that all 
who have paid money this way for hearing the Gospel, 
will come to me, and I will return what they have paid. 
And as to this iniquitous clerk, his money perish with 
him." In 1767, he was in Wales and Yorkshire, as he 
also occasionally visited Bristol and Bath, during which 
time, as well as during his absence in the preceding 
year, the Rev. Mr. Brown was intrusted with the care 
of his flock. Of him Mr. Fletcher entertained a high 
opinion, and placed an entire confidence in his prudence , 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 121 

piety, and zeal. " I thank you," says he to Mr. Ireland, 
" for your care to procure not only a supply for my 
Church, but such an agreeable, acceptable, and profita- 
ble one as Mr. Brown. I know none that should be 
more welcome than he. Tell him, with a thousand 
thanks for his condescension, that I deliver my charge 
over to him fully, and give him a carte blanche, to do 
or not to do, as the Lord shall direct him." How long- 
Mr. Brown continued at Madeley I cannot say, nor 
whether he supplied Mr. Fletcher's Church during the 
time the latter spent in his native country, in company 
with his faithful and tried friend, Mr. Ireland, in the 
spring of the year 1770. He had formed the design of 
paying his friends this visit in the preceding spring, as 
appears by the following paragraph of a letter to the 
same friend, dated March 26, 1769 i — 

" I shall be obliged to go to Switzerland, this year or 
the next, if I live, and the Lord permit. I have there a 
brother, a worthy man, who threatens to leave his wife 
and children to come and pay me a visit, if I do not go 
and see him myself. It is some time since our gracious 
God has convinced him of sin, and I have by me some 
of his letters which give me great pleasure ; this circum- 
stance has more weight with me than the settlement of 
my affairs." 

Nevertheless he did not go during that year, for at the 
close of it he writes from Madeley as follows : — 

"Last night I received your obliging letter, and am 
ready to accompany you to Montpelier, provided you 
will go with me to Nyon. I shall raise about twenty 
guineas, and with that sum, a gracious Providence, and 
your purse, I hope we shall want for nothing. If the 
Lord send me, I should want nothing, though I had 
nothing, and though my fellow traveller were no richer 
than myself. 

" I hope to be at Bristol soon to offer you my services 
to pack up. You desired to have a Swiss servant, and 
I offer myself to you in that capacity ; for I shall be no 
more ashamed of serving you, as far as I am capable of 
doing it, than I am of wearing your livery. 

" Two reasons (to say nothing of the pleasure of your 
company) engage me to go with you to Montpelier — a 
desire to visit some poor Hugonots in the south of 

16 



122 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



France, and the need I have to recover a little French 
before I go and converse with my compatriots." 

3. The accomplishment, however, of his desire in 
their intended journey was farther delayed for a few 
weeks, by a circumstance which he speaks of in the 
same letter in the following words : — 

" The (popish) priest at Madeley is going to open his 
mass house, and I have declared war on that account last 
Sunday, and propose to strip the whore of Babylon and 
expose her nakedness to-morrow. All the papists are in 
a great ferment, and they have held meetings to consult 
on the occasion. One of their bloody bullies came to 
4 pick up,' as he said, a quarrel with me, and what would 
have been the consequence, had not I providentially had 
company with me, I cannot say. How far their rage 
may be kindled to-morrow I don't know : but I question 
whether it will be right for me to leave the field in these 
circumstances. I forgot to mention that two of our poor 
ignorant Churchmen are going to join the mass house, 
which is also a cause of my having taken up arms. Fare- 
well. Yours, J. F." 

4. He preached the sermon intended the next Lord's 
day. The text on which he grounded his doctrine, as I 
have reason to believe, from a manuscript of his now 
before me, was 1 Tim. iv, 1-3 : " The Spirit speaketh 
expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from 
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines 
of devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their con- 
science seared with a hot iron ; forbidding to marry, and 
commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath 
created to be received with thanksgiving of them who 
believe and know the truth.'" 

In discoursing from these words, if I may judge by 
the skeleton of the sermon upon them, he showed, 
I. What the apostolic doctrine was, and in what respect 
the papists had departed from it, and given heed to 
seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. 1. That, ac- 
cording to the apostles and prophets, the Holy Scriptures 
are a sufficient rule of faith and practice, Isa. viii, 20 ; 
Gal. i, 8; 2 Tim. iii, 15-17; Jude 3. But that the 
Church of Rome teaches they are not a sufficient rule, 
" proposing some doctrines as matters of faith, and re- 
quiring some things as necessary duty, which learned 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 123 

men among themselves confess not to be contained in 
Scripture, and maintaining that tradition as well as 
Scripture is a necessary rule of faith, requiring it to be 
received and reverenced with the like pious regard and 
veneration as the Holy Scriptures, and declaring those 
to be accursed who knowingly contemn it." 2. That, 
according to the apostolic faith, the one living and true 
God is the sole object of religious worship. Matt, iv, 10. 
Whereas the papists enjoin the worship of the host, or 
consecrated wafer, and of angels, saints, images, and 
relics. 3. That, according to the apostles and other 
inspired writers, Christ is the only 'mediator between 
God and man ; the only advocate, intercessor, and Sa- 
viour, 1 Tim. ii, 5 ; 1 John ii, 1. But that the papists 
believe there are many mediators, intercessors, and 
advocates with God, to whom they are wont to have 
recourse, as the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, and departed 
saints in general. 4. That the apostles and evangelists 
teach us that there is no merit, strictly speaking, in us 
or in our works or sufferings ; that, at the best, we are 
" unprofitable servants," and our righteousness, consider- 
ed in itself, as " filthy rags ;" that all merit is in Him. his 
life and death, his atonement and intercession ; that 
there is no 44 propitiatory sacrifice," but that of His 
cross, Heb. i, 3; ix, 11, 12, 26; and no " purgatory," 
but His blood and Spirit, 1 John i, 7 ; Rev. i, 5 ; Zech. 
xiii, 1. But that the Church of Rome, by her doctrine 
of indulgences, of penances, and of works of superero- 
gation, as well as by that of the sacrifice of the mass, and 
of purgatory, has evidently departed from that faith ; 
affirming- that 44 the works of justified persons do truly 
deserve eternal life," and pronouncing " him accursed 
who shall affirm that such works do not truly deserve 
an increase of grace here and eternal life hereafter." 
5. That, according to the docrine of Christ and his apos- 
tles, the grace of the Holy Spirit is the one source of 
all the holiness, inward and outward, and of all the good 
which is in or is done by man : and that this 44 Spirit 
beareth witness with the spirits of the faithful, that they 
are the children of God." But the papists hold that the 
Virgin Mary is also a source of grace to the faithful, 
being accustomed to address her in these words, 44 Hail, 
Mary, full of grace, the Lord be with thee, thy grace 



124 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



with me." And they maintain, also, that there is no 
certain knowledge of salvation to be attained in this life. 
6. As to the commands of God, they mangle the first ; 
they curtail, obliterate, or openly break the second ; 
and most evidently contradict and violate the tenth ; the 
council of Trent having pronounced them " accursed 
who say that concupiscence is sin." 7. Prayer is per- 
verted by them, being ridiculously addressed to saints 
and angels, and that by means of beads and strings ; is 
offered often for the dead, and, when in public, generally 
in a tongue not undei stood by the common people. 
8. The two sacraments are corrupted and abused : that 
of the Lord's Supper by the doctrine of transubstantia- 
tion, which teaches that the bread and wine are changed, 
by the act of consecration, into the very body and blood 
of Christ ; that it is " a sacrifice for the dead and the 
living," and ought to be adored : and also in denying the 
cup to the laity. Baptism is partly abused in the baptism 
of bells, and partly rendered ridiculous by joining it with 
sundry foolish and unscriptural ceremonies. 9. Mar- 
riage is constituted a sacrament, without any authority 
from Scripture, and yet is forbidden to the clergy. 

Another part of Mr. Fletcher's discourse went to show 
that the Spirit had expressly foretold that such a depart- 
ure as this from the faith should take place in the latter 
days, or days intervening between Christ's first and 
second coming. With this view, he appealed to the 
prophecy of Daniel, chap, vii, 25, and xi, 36, and to St. 
Paul's Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, chap, ii, 4, 
proving, by convincing arguments, that these passages 
of the inspired writings were meant to be understood of 
the general apostacy of the Church of Christ in Gospel 
days. He showed, also, that this departure from the 
truth of doctrine and practice had taken place through 
giving way to seducing spirits in popes and priests, 
Jesuits and friars. 

5. Concerning the effects of this sermon, and the cir- 
cumstances consequent upon it, Mr. Fletcher writes to 
his friend as follows : — 

" The day after I wrote to you, I preached the sermon 
against popery which I had promised to my people : 
and Mr. S — t — r called out several times in the church 
vard, as the people went out of church, that ' there was 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



125 



not one word of truth in the whole of my discourse, and 
that he would prove it ;' and told me that ' he would 
produce a gentleman who should answer my sermon, 
and the pamphlet I had distributed.' I was therefore 
obliged to declare in the church that I should not quit 
England, and was only going into Wales, from whence I 
would return soon to reply to the answer of Mr. S — t — r 
and the priest, if they should offer any. 1 am thus 
obliged to return to Madeley, by my word so publicly 
pledged, as well as to raise a little money for my 
journey." 

By this bold and prudent stand, thus made by this man 
of God, the designs of the papists were in a great mea- 
sure frustrated, and they were prevented from making 
any progress worth mentioning in that neighbourhood. 
It is true, there is even now a mass house and a priest 
at Madeley ; but I find upon inquiry there are not a 
dozen popish families in the parish. 

6. This little storm seems to have been chiefly blown 
over before the middle of January, at which time, how- 
ever, he was still undetermined respecting his intended 
visit to France and Switzerland, as appears by a letter 
of the 13th of that month to Mr. Ireland, written from 
Wales :— 

" I know not what to think of our journey. My heart 
frequently recoils ; I have lost all hopes of being able to 
preach in French, and I think if I could they will not per- 
mit me. I become more stupid every day : my memory 
fails me in a surprising manner. I am good for nothing 
but to go and bury myself in my parish. Judge, then, 
whether I am tit to go into the world. On the other 
hand, I fear that your journey is undertaken partly from 
complaisance to me, and in consequence of the engage- 
ment we made to go together. I acquit you of your 
promise, and if your business do not really demand your 
presence in France, I beg you will not think of going 
there on my account. The bare idea of giving you 
trouble would make the journey ten times more disa- 
greeable to me than the season of the year. 

"If your affairs do not really call you to France, I 
will wait until Providence and grace shall open a way 
for me to the mountains of Switzerland, if I am ever to 
see them again. Adieu. Give yourself wholly to God, 



126 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



A divided heart, like a divided kingdom, falls naturally 
by its own gravity, either into darkness or into sin. My 
heart's desire is, that the love of Jesus may fill your 
soul, and that of your unworthy and greatly obliged 
servant, J. F." 

7. His friend, it appears, had solved his doubts, and 
answered his objections so much to his satisfaction in 
his reply, that they soon afterward undertook their 
journey, and travelled through a great part of France 
and Italy, as well as visited Switzerland. It is extremely 
to be regretted that neither of them kept a journal dur- 
ing this tour, as the incidents which occurred, I know, 
were such as would have afforded much important, as 
well as pleasing information, if recorded in a narrative 
of this kind. In order in some degree to supply this 
want, I insert here the following short account of some 
of these occurrences, which Mr. Ireland has kindly 
favoured me with in answer to my inquiries. 

8. His words are, " It would give me great pleasure 
to add any thing to what I have already communicated 
respecting my much esteemed but deceased friend. But 
alas ! I may as well attempt to gather up water spilled 
on the ground. I was with him day and night, in our 
first journey, nearly five months, travelling all over 
Italy and France. At that time a popish priest resided 
in his parish, who attempted to mislead the poor people. 
Mr. Fletcher, therefore, throughout this journey, attend- 
ed the sermons of the Roman Catholic clergy, visited 
their convents and monasteries, and conversed with all 
the most serious among them whom he met with, in or- 
der that he might thoroughly know their sentiments 
concerning spiritual religion. And he was so very par- 
ticular in making his observations respecting the gross 
and absurd practices of the priests and other clergy, 
especially while we were in Italy, that we were fre- 
quently in no small danger of our lives. He wished to 
attend the pope's chapel at Rome, but I would not con- 
sent to accompany him, till I had obtained a promise 
from him that he would forbear to speak by way of cen- 
sure or reproof of what he saw or heard. He came 
into company with a great many men of science and 
learning, with whom he conversed freely on Gospel 
truths ; which most of them opposed with violence. A 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



127 



few heard and were edified. I have often said that I 
would give a considerable sum of money, could I recol- 
lect or procure a copy of his arguments, and their re- 
plies, respecting the capital truths of the Gospel. But 9 
alas ! my memory fails me ; and although I was exceed- 
ingly struck with them at the time I heard them, yet as 
they occurred frequently, I had not leisure on the jour- 
ney to take minutes of them. His whole life, as you 
well know, was a sermon : all his conversations were 
sermons. Even his disputations with infidels were full 
of instruction. We met with a gentleman of fortune 
once on a journey, an excellent classical scholar, with 
whom we continued near a fortnight in a hotel. He said 
he had travelled all over Europe, and had passed through 
all the societies in England, to find a person whose life 
corresponded with the gospels and with Paul's epistles. 
And he asked me (for it was with me he first began to 
converse) if I knew of any clergyman or dissenting 
minister in England, possessing a stipend of one hun- 
dred pounds a year for the cure of souls who would not 
leave them all if I offered him double that sum. I re- 
plied in the affirmative, and soon pointed out my friend, 
Mr. Fletcher, when absent. Disputations now com- 
menced, which continued, at intervals, for many days. 
And they had this effect upon the gentleman that he 
ever after revered and respected our friend ; and when 
we met again, many years after, at Marseilles, showed 
him every civility." 

9. The instance referred to by Mr. Ireland in the pre- 
ceding account is related more at large by Mr. Gilpin, 
in the following words : — " Some years ago he met with 
a traveller on the continent, who had adopted the senti- 
ments of Voltaire, with respect to the religion of Jesus ; 
a man of much information and refinement, and a strenu- 
ous opposer of the Christian faith. This gentleman no 
sooner understood that he was sitting in company with 
a zealous defender of scriptural truth, but, confiding in 
his own superiority, he carelessly threw out the gauntlet, 
by ridiculing the sentiments which Mr. Fletcher main- 
tained. Our pious traveller immediatety accepted the 
challenge with a modest assurance, and the conversation 
between these two able disputants soon became serio.us. 
Every argument, on either side, was proposed with the 



128 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



greatest caution, and every proposition examined with 
the nicest accuracy. After the contest had continued 
for several hours together, the gentleman grew impa- 
tient at his want of success ; while his calmer opponent 
confuted and exposed the tenets he had vainly endea- 
voured to maintain. 

"This debate was continued by adjournment, for the 
space of a week ; and, during this season, whatever had 
been said upon the subject by the most celebrated wri- 
ters, was regularly brought forward, and thoroughly 
canvassed. Mr. Fletcher repeatedly overcame his an- 
tagonist, whose arguments became more languid and 
ineffectual toward the close of the debate, and who 
regularly lost his temper and his cause together. In 
the course of this controversy, Mr. Fletcher took a view 
of the Christian's enviable life, his consolation in trou- 
ble, and his tranquillity in danger ; together with his 
absolutely superiority to all the evils of life and the 
horrors of death ; interspersing his remarks with many 
affectionate admonitions, and powerful persuasives to 
a rational dependence upon the truths of the Gospel. 

" Such was the conclusion of this memorable debate, 
in the course of which the unsuccessful disputant con- 
ceived so exalted an idea of his opponent's character, 
that he never afterward mentioned his name but with 
peculiar veneration and regard. And, as a proof that 
this regard was unfeigned, meeting with Mr. Fletcher 
about eight years afterward in Provence, where he lived 
in affluence and ease, he showed him every possible 
civility, entertaining him at his own house in the most 
hospitable manner, and listening to his conversation 
on spiritual subjects with all imaginable attention and 
respect. 

" Such was the manner in which Mr. Fletcher ac- 
quitted himself in the defence of oppressed truth ; and 
whether his efforts were successful or not, he left behind 
him in every place sufficient proofs of the acuteness, 
resolution, and constancy, with which he exerted him- 
self in her cause." 

10. Another anecdote, similar to the preceding, is re- 
lated by the same pious author in the following words : — 
" Meeting some years ago with a young Genoese, who 
was returning from Antibes to Genoa, Mr. Fletcher, 



LIFE OF FvEV. J. FLETCHER. 



129 



who was taking the same route, very courteously ac- 
cepted the offer of his company. After a short conver- 
sation had taken place between them, our pious traveller 
was deeply affected to discover that his companion had 
imbibed the skeptical notions of the day. Upon this 
discovery, he beheld the youth with a mixture of com- 
passion and hope, secretly determining to improve the 
providence which had cast this young stranger in his 
way, by attempting to lead him from the grossness of 
materialism to the spirituality of the Gospel. As they 
were detained at Monacho by contrary winds, he thank 
fully embraced this favourable opportunity of convers- 
ing with his fellow traveller in the freest and most affec- 
tionate manner. At first the young man mantained his 
own sentiments with a great degree of warmth, and with a 
strong persuasion that every attempt to refute them would 
be ineffectual ; but in the course of a few hours he was 
unexpectedly staggered by the forcible arguments of his 
wiser opponent. At the end of two days' debate, he 
frankly acknowledged himself vanquished, and express- 
ed a desire that the controversy might be turned into a 
liberal inquiry respecting the nature of revealed reli- 
gion. Here Mr. Fletcher entered upon a part of his 
province to which he was always especially disposed, 
explaining the Scriptures in a manner peculiar to him- 
self, equally intelligible and sublime, leading on his 
astonished companion from mystery to mystery, and 
opening before him an unbounded prospect of grace 
and glory. The young man was struck with the mas- 
terly skill, and affected with the more than parental 
concern of his instructer. He looked up to him with 
reverence, and listened to him with admiration : and 
still, the longer he attended to his discourse, the more 
he was athirst for information, renewing the sacred sub- 
ject with little intermission from morning till night. 

46 At length the young gentleman was constrained to 
acknowledge the natural depravity and darkness of his 
mind, bewailing his former inattention to the most mo- 
mentous concerns, and lamenting, with many tears, that 
he had wandered so long without the help of an experi- 
enced guide to extricate him from the mazes of delusion 
and error. From this time he desired to be present at 
morning and evening prayer, on which occasions Mr. 

11 



130 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



Fletcher was careful to expound some portion of Scrip 
ture peculiarly adapted to his circumstances ; and, dur 
ing the continuance of these devotional exercises, such 
was the solemn attention and deportment of this altered 
youth, that a stranger would have supposed him a stu- 
uent of deep experience in the school of Christ. These 
religious impressions were not only continued, but deep- 
ened from day to day, till their arrival at Genoa ; when 
Mr. Fletcher had the satisfaction of observing, in the 
character of his able companion, every apparent token 
of a real and permanent change. 

" During Mr. Fletcher's continuance at this place he 
had frequent opportunities of conversing with his new 
acquaintance, from whom he received many testimonies 
of affectionate regard, and whom he endeavoured to 
establish in the faith of the Gospel. He gave him such 
directions and warnings as were suited to his state. He 
exhorted him to search the Scriptures, and to continue 
instant in prayer. He set before him the trials and dif- 
ficulties which would probably attend his spiritual pro- 
gress, together with the advantages and consolations 
which must necessarily accompany a religious life. He 
guarded him against the devices of an ensnaring world, 
and pointed out the vanity of its richest gifts ; how 
transient its smiles, how trifling its honours, how uncer- 
tain its riches, how inconstant its friendship, how feeble 
its supports ; entreating him to mark it down in his me- 
mory, that the friend of the world is the enemy of God. 
And now, being called away from Genoa, after taking a 
most affectionate leave of his young disciple, and com- 
mending him to God in solemn prayer, he went on his 
way rejoicing 

11. We learn farther from Mr. Ireland, that while they 
were at Marseilles, he procured for Mr. Fletcher the use 
of a Protestant church in that neighbourhood. After 
this grant had been obtained, Mr. Fletcher made the 
circumstance of his preaching there the subject of most 
fervent prayer during the whole of the preceding week. 
And inasmuch as he found no freedom in his mind, nor 
confidence in praying concerning it, nor expectation of 
doing good by preaching, he entreated Mr. Ireland every 
day, even until the Sunday morning when he was to 
preach, to go and inform the minister he must decline 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



131 



preaching. Mr. Ireland, however, refused ; and Mr. 
Fletcher was compelled, by a regard for consistency 
and propriety of conduct, to go up into the pulpit ; 
although under great fear and depression of mind. God 
was pleased, however, when he began to pray, to give 
him great freedom of speech and enlargement of heart, 
and he afterward preached in a manner that astonished 
all that heard him. The whole congregation, among 
whom were many ministers, were in tears, and exceed- 
ingly affected most part of the the time that he was 
engaged in the service. 

12. The reader would observe that in one of the let- 
ters quoted above Mr. Fletcher mentions his having a 
desire to visit some Hugonots (Protestants) in the south 
of France ; and it was during this tour that his desire 
was gratified, and the following circumstance took place, 
related by Mr. Gilpin in his Notes. Indeed, while on 
his last journey to the continent, he was not in a state of 
health to undertake anv labour of the kind. 

"Passing some years ago," says Mr. Gilpin, " through 
the south of France, he expressed a longing desire to 
visit the Protestants in the Sevennes mountains, whose 
fathers had suffered so greatly in the cause of godliness. 
To converse with the children of those who had laid 
down their lives in defence of the truth was a privilege 
not to be despised by a man who never lost an oppor- 
tunity of conversing with a righteous person, without 
lamenting it as a real misfortune. Though the journey 
was long and difficult, yet no argument could prevail 
with him to give up his resolution of attempting it on 
foot. 6 Shall I,' said he to his friend, ' make a visit on 
horseback, and at ease, to those poor cottagers, whose 
fathers were hunted along yonder rocks like partridges 
upon the mountains ? No ; in order to secure a more 
friendly reception among them, I will visit them under 
the plainest appearance, and with my staff in my hand. 5 

" Accordingly he set out alone on this Christian expe- 
dition ; and after travelling till it was nearly dark, he 
came to a small house, where he requested the favour of 
sitting up in a chair till the morning. It was not with- 
out some hesitation that the master of the cottage con- 
sented to receive him ; after which he immediately en- 
tered into discourse with his host and his wife, who were 



132 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



so much charmed with the conversation and manners of 
their guest, that they considered the richest provisions 
their house could afford as too mean to be set before 
him. After a hasty repast the conversation was con- 
tinued on the part of Mr. Fletcher, and attended to by 
the children, as well as by their parents, with a degree 
of eagerness which discovered their desire of religious 
instruction. Before they retired to rest, prayer was 
proposed : and while this holy man was engaged in 
pouring out his fervent supplication before God, the 
family around him were uncommonly affected, melted 
into tears, and filled with holy admiration. Early on 
the morrow, while he repeated his exhortations and 
renewed his prayers, he was listened to with the same 
veneration and earnestness ; when, taking an affection- 
ate leave of the family, he left the whole household in a 
state of astonishment and concern. This little relation 
was taken from the poor man himself, who immediately 
gave it out among his neighbours that he had nearly 
refused to admit a stranger into his house, who proved 
to be rather an angel than a man. This family was of 
the Romish Church. 

" Continuing his journey, Mr. Fletcher reached a little 
town where he was entertained by a pious minister to 
whom he had been recommended. Here he was re- 
ceived by the serious Protestants with open arms, among 
whom he exercised his ministry with much freedom and 
success. He conversed with their elders, he admonished 
their youth, he visited their sick, diligently exhorting 
and instructing them from house to house, while many 
among them were comforted, and many built up in their 
most holy faith. 

" In the course of his progress through these mount 
ains, he put up at a little house, where his landlord was 
one of those persons who seldom utter a word unaccom- 
panied by an oath. Our benevolent traveller addressed 
this unthinking creature in his usual pointed and pathetic 
manner ; and not without effect. His heart was deeply 
penetrated with the deserved rebuke, he confessed his 
error, and expressed a serious concern for the irregu- 
larity of his past conduct. Mr. Fletcher had many 
opportunities in this family for the pious exercises of 
admonitipn and prayer ; and, from the time of his 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 



133 



sojourning among them, an uncommon reformation was 
apparent in the conversation and manners of his host. 
It has since appeared that the solemn exhortations he 
received during this season were attended with so ex- 
traordinary an effect upon this poor man, that if, on any- 
future occasion, he discovered an unholy warmth in his 
temper, nothing more was necessary to produce an im- 
mediate calm in his mind than the bare recollection of 
that venerable stranger who had once lodged beneath 
his roof. 

" This tedious journey, (of which a much more cir- 
cumstantial account might be given,) while it evinced 
the love of this indefatigable pastor to those whom he 
knew only by report, was productive of the happiest 
consequences to those who attended his ministry upon 
this occasion, and especially to those who entertained 
him in their families." 

13. It was during this journey, also, that while they 
were travelling through a part of Italy, " as they ap- 
proached the Appian Way, he directed the driver to stop 
before he entered upon it. He then ordered the chaise 
door to be opened, assuring his fellow traveller that his 
heart would not suffer him to ride over that ground upon 
which the Apostle Paul V*d formerly walked chained 
to a soldier, on account ol A Teaching the everlasting 
Gospel. As soon as he had set his foot upon this old 
Roman road, he took off his hat ; and walking on with 
his eyes lifted up to heaven, returned thanks to God in 
a most fervent manner for that light, those truths, and 
that influence of the Holy Spirit, which were continued 
to the present day. He rejoiced that England was 
favoured with the Gospel in its purity ; and devoutly 
implored that Rome might again have the truths of that 
Gospel declared in those Churches which were disgraced 
with a worship little superior to that of ancient Athens. 
He then took a view of the exemplary life, the extensive 
travels, and astonishing labours of the great apostle. 
He recounted his sufferings when a prisoner, and hia 
trials when at liberty ; his rigid self-denial, and his 
voluntary poverty for the furtherance of the Gospel. 
He spoke of his painful ministry, and his violent perse- 
cutions, enlarging with peculiar energy upon his last 
journey from Jerusalem to Rome. He then ran over 



134 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



his experience : his faith, his love, his abundant revela- 
tions, and his constant communion with the Lord Jesus 
Christ : demonstrating that without such communion, he 
could never have supported the sharp conflicts and re- 
peated suffering's to which he was daily exposed. Here 
he adverted to his own situation with a degree of gratitude 
that surpasses all description. What a miracle of mercy, 
said he. that a Christian, hated and despised as he is by 
all men, is yet suffered to live : and that we. who desire- 
to be such, can travel at this day unmolested among 
tiiose who abhor the truth as it is in Jesus. Their an- 
cestors were stained with the blood of th° innocent : 
and were the Gospel te be proposed in its parity to the 
present generation, they would rush upon the preacher 
of it, as so many beasts of prey, if He. who restrained 
the lions from devouring Daniel, were not present to 
control their destructive zeal. These remarks were 
continued for a long time together, sweetly intermixed 
with occasional prayer and praise. He breathed no- 
thing but devotion ; and had he not been prevented 
by the presence of the driver, such were his feelings on 
treading this celebrated road, that he would certain]} 
have acted like St. Paul when he retired to the riverside. 
where 'prayer was wont to be made/' 

14. Soon after his arrival in Switzerland, ''he was 
waited upon by the clergy at Xyon. who severally pressed 
him to honour their pulpits during his stay at that place. 
On the morrow uf his arrival, being the Sabbath day. he 
addressed his countrymen in an admirable discourse, the 
result of much prayer and meditation. The subject 
matter of this sermon, and the manner in which it was 
delivered, were equally striking. The clearness and 
pathos with which he expressed himself on this occasion 
attracted the attention of all. and rilled many with a 
serious concern for the faith once delivered to the saints. 
Deists themselves listened with admiration : while the 
multitude appeared as though they saw and heard one 
more than man. To adopt the French idea, he carried 
off the whole audience. During his continuance at Xyon 
he preached in different churches : and wherever he was 
announced, multitudes flocked from all quarters to attend 
him. The reputation of his great abilities drew together 
persons of everv description : and it wa? truly refresh- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



135 



ing, says an intimate friend of Mr. Fletcher, who was 
present upon these occasions, to behold the powerful 
effects of the Gospel among those who, before that time, 
had seldom or never heard it proclaimed in its purity. 
Many despisers of revelation were overawed and con- 
founded ; many formal professors were touched with 
the power of true religion ; and many careless lovers of 
pleasure were impressed with a solemn sense of eternal 
things. 

ki One young man in particular was so deeply affected 
by the discourses of this powerful preacher, that he im- 
mediately resolved to consecrate himself to the service 
of God in the work of the holy ministry. Accordingly 
he betook himself from that time to studies of a sacred 
nature, and is at this day minister of the Protestant 
Church at Lyons. Among others, a good old minister, 
who was more than seventy years of age heard him 
gladly ; and earnestly entreated him to lengthen out his 
visit at Nyon, though it should be but for a single week 
beyond the time proposed for his departure. He urged 
his request with much importunity : and when he found 
that his desire could not conveniently be complied with, 
the old man wept, and turning to Mr. Fletcher's fellow 
traveller, affectingly exclaimed, ' O, sir, how unfortunate 
for this country ; during my day it has produced but one 
angel of a man, and it is our lot to be deprived of him !' 
The benefit of his public labours in this place was sig- 
nificantly attested by the numerous applications he re- 
ceived in private for religious instruction. And the 
grateful sense his countrymen entertained of those la- 
bours was fully expressed in their affectionate concern 
at his departure from among them. Weeping multi- 
tudes crowded around his carriage, anxious to receive a 
last word or look : and not a few followed his chariot 
above two miles from the town, before they had resolu- 
tion to tear themselves entirely away from the company 
of this venerable man. 

46 For Nyon to be deprived of the ministry of this illus- 
trious divine was truly unfortunate ; but it was equally 
happy for that favoured village which was appointed to 
be the scene of his exemplary labours. There his 
strength and his arms were chiefly exercised, and there 
his most important victories over sin were obtained. 



136 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



There his name will long continue to be had in honour; 
and from thence many a goodly jewel will be collected, 
to form for him a crown of rejoicing in the day of the 
Lord." 

15. About the middle of summer, as far as I recollect, 
in that year, he and his friend returned to England. 
Soon after their return, I had the happiness of being fre- 
quently in company with Mr. Ireland, first at Trevecka, 
in Wales, and afterward at his own house at Bristol, and 
of hearing many pleasing and edifying anecdotes con- 
cerning Mr. Fletcher, and the circumstances of their 
journey. I lament -that length of time, and the multi- 
tude of affairs Providence has called me to be engaged 
in, have erased these so far from my memory that I am 
not able to give a clear or consistent account of them. 
One thing, however, I well remember, and shall never 
forget, and that is the very high esteem and veneration 
in which Mr. Fletcher was held by his friend and fellow 
traveller, who, during the five months spent together on 
their tour, had seen such proofs from day to day of his 
exalted piety, fortitude, and wisdom, that he was per- 
fectly enraptured with him. If Mr. Fletcher had been 
an angel in human flesh, his friend could not well have 
held him in higher estimation, nor have been more lavish 
and incessant in his praise. He was careful, however, 
to ascribe the glory of all the excellences that were in 
him to the grace of God. 

16. My persona] acquaintance with Mr. Fletcher was 
then but slight. I had, I think, only had two or three 
interviews with him, which, as far as I can recollect, 
were in the year 1768, when I w r as classical master at 
Kingswood school. As he occasionally made an excur- 
sion from Madeley to Bristol and Bath, in one of those 
excursions we invited him to preach at Kingswood. He 
was peculiarly assisted while he was applying those 
encouraging words, Him that cometh unto me I will in 
no wise cast out. The people were exceedingly affect- 
ed ; indeed quite melted down. The tears streamed so 
fast from the eyes of the poor colliers, that their black 
faces were washed by them, and almost universally 
streaked with w r hite. And as to himself, his zealous 
soul had been carried out so far beyond his strength, 
that when he concluded, he put off a shirt which was as 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



137 



wet as if it had been dipped in water. But this was 
nothing strange : wherever he preached it was generally 
the case. From this time I conceived a particular esteem 
for him, chiefly on account of his piety ; and wished 
much for a farther acquaintance with him ; a blessing 
which I soon after obtained. 

17. About this time the countess of Huntingdon erected 
a seminary at Trevecka, in Wales, in order to educate 
pious young men, of whatever denomination, for the 
ministry. She proposed to admit only such as were 
truly converted to God, and resolved to dedicate them- 
selves to his service. They were at liberty to stay there 
three years, during which time they were to have their 
education gratis, with every necessary of life, and a suit 
of clothes once a year ; afterward those who desired it 
might enter into the ministry, either in the established 
Church of England, or among Protestants of any other 
denomination. From the high opinion which the coun- 
tess had of Mr. Fletcher's piety, learning, and abilities, 
for such an office, she invited him to undertake the super- 
intendence of that seminary : not that he could promise 
to be generally resident there : much less constantly. 
His duty to his own flock at Madeley would by no means 
admit of this. But he was to attend as often as he con- 
veniently could ; to give advice with regard to the ap- 
pointment of masters, and the admission or exclusion of 
students ; to oversee their studies and conduct ; to assist 
their piety, and judge of their qualifications for the work 
of the ministry. 

18. As Mr. Fletcher greatly approved Qf the design, 
especially considering, first, That none were to be ad- 
mitted but such as feared and loved God ; and secondly, 
That when they were prepared for it, they were to be 
at liberty to enter into the ministry wherever Providence 
should open a door ; he readily complied with the invi- 
tation, and undertook the charge. This he did without 
fee or reward, from the sole motive of being useful in 
the most important work of training up persons for the 
glorious office of preaching the Gospel. And some 
months after, with the same view, through his means, 
and in consequence of Mr. Wesley's recommendation to 
her ladyship, I was made head master of the academy, 
or as it was commonly called, the college, though I could 

18 



133 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



very ill be spared from Kingswood, where I had acted in 
that capacity about four years. 

19. Being yet greatly wanted at Kingswood, and 
having likewise a term to keep at Oxford, I could only 
pay them a short visit for the present, which was in 
January, 1770. But in the spring following I went to 
reside there ; and for some time was well satisfied with 
my situation. The young men were serious, and made 
a considerable progress in learning ; and many of them 
seemed to have talents for the ministry. Mr. Fletcher 
visited them frequently, and was received as an angel of 
God. It is not possible for me to describe the vene- 
ration in which we all held him. Like Elijah in the 
schools of the prophets, he was revered ; he was loved ; 
he was almost adored : and that not only by every stu- 
dent, but by every member of the family. And indeed 
he was worthy. The reader will pardon me if he think 
I exceed. My heart kindles while I write. Here it was 
that I saw, shall I say, an angel in human flesh ? 1 
should not far exceed the truth if I said so. But here I 
saw a descendant of fallen Adam, so fully raised above 
the ruins of the fall, that though by the body he was tied 
down to earth, yet was his whole conversation in hea- 
ven : yet was his life, from day to day, hid with Christ 
in God. Prayer, praise, love, and zeal, all ardent, ele- 
vated above what one would think attainable in this 
state of frailty, were the element in which he continually 
lived. And as to others, his one employment was to 
call, entreat, and urge them to ascend with him to the 
glorious Source of being and blessedness. He had 
leisure comparatively for nothing else. Languages, 
arts, sciences, grammar, rhetoric, logic, even divinity 
itself, as it is called, were all laid aside when he ap- 
peared in the school room among the students. His 
full heart would not suffer him to be silent. He must 
speak, and they were readier to hearken to this servant 
and minister of Jesus Christ than to attend to Sallust, 
Virgil, Cicero, or any Latin or Greek historian, poet, or 
philosopher they had been engaged in reading. And 
they seldom hearkened long, before they were all in 
tears, and every heart catched fire from the flame that 
burned in his soul. 

20. These seasons generally terminated in this : — 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



139 



Being convinced that to be filled with the Holy Ghost 
was a better qualification for the ministry of the Gospel 
than any classical learning, (although that too be useful 
in its place,) after speaking awhile in the school room, 
he used frequently to say, " As many of you as are 
athirst for this fulness of the Spirit, follow me into my 
room." On this, many of us have instantly followed 
him, and there continued for two or three hours, wrest- 
ling like Jacob for the blessing, praying one after an- 
other till we could bear to kneel no longer. This was 
not done once or twice, but many times. And I have 
sometimes seen him on these occasions, once in parti- 
cular, so filled with the love of God, that he could con- 
tain no more, but cried out, " O my God, withhold thy 
hand or the vessel will burst." But he afterward told 
me he was afraid he had grieved the Spirit of God ; and 
that he ought rather to have prayed that the Lord would 
have enlarged the vessel, or have suffered it to break, 
that the soul might have had no farther bar or interrup- 
tion to its enjoyment of the Supreme Good. In this 
he was certainly right. For, as Mr. Wesley has ob- 
served, the proper prayer on such an occasion would 
have been, — 

" Give me the enlarged desire, 

And open, Lord, my soul, 
Thy own fulness to require, 

And comprehend the whole ! 
Stretch my faith's capacity 

Wider and yet wider still : 
Then with all that is in thee 

My ravish'd spirit fill." 

21. Such was the ordinary employment of this man 
of God while he remained at Trevecka. He preached 
the word of life to the students and family, and as many 
of the neighbours as desired to be present. He was 
instant in season and out of season; he reproved, re- 
buked, exhorted with all long-suffering. He was al- 
ways employed, either in illustrating some important 
truth, or exhorting to some neglected duty, or adminis- 
tering some needful comfort, or relating some useful 
anecdote, or making some profitable remark or obser- 
vation upon some occurrence. And his devout soul, 
always burning with love and zeal, led him to inter* 



140 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



mingle prayer with all he uttered. Meanwhile his man- 
ner was so solemn, and at the same time so mild and 
insinuating, that it was hardly possible for any one who 
had the happiness of being in his company, not to be 
struck with awe and charmed with love as if in the pre- 
sence of an angel or departed spirit. Indeed I fre- 
quently thought, while attending to his heavenly dis- 
course and Divine spirit, that he was so different from, 
and superior to the generality of mankind, as to look 
more like Moses, or Elijah, or some prophet or apostle 
come again from the dead, than a mortal man dwelling 
in a house of clay. It is true, his weak and long afflicted 
body proclaimed him to be human. But the graces 
which so eminently filled and adorned his soul, mani- 
fested him to be Divine. And long before his happy 
spirit returned to God who gave it, that which was 
human seemed in a great measure to be sioallowed up 
of life. 

22. And as Mr. Fletcher was thus zealous and unwea 
ried in his exhortations to, and prayers for, the students 
and other members of the family, while present with 
them, so he was far from being inattentive to their spi- 
ritual welfare when absent. His concern for their pros- 
perity in the Divine life constrained him, during his 
absence from them, frequently to address to them pas- 
toral letters full of instruction and exhortation. One of 
these, the only one I have in my possession, I shall here 
insert. It was written from Madeley, July 23, 1770, 
immediately after his return from abroad. 

" To the masters and students of Lady Huntingdon's 
College. 

" Grace, mercy, and peace attend you, my dear bre- 
thren, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Bro- 
ther, Jesus Christ. Brother, do I say? but should not I 
rather have written all ? Is not he all and in all ? All 
to believers, for he is their God as the Tioyog, [the Word,) 
and their Friend, Brother, Father, Spouse, &c, &c, (fee, 
as he is Xoyog yevofisvoc oap% (the Word made flesh.) From 
him, through him, and in him, I salute you in the Spi- 
rit. I believe he is here with me and in me ; I believe 
he is yonder with you and in you ; for 4 in him we live, 
move, and have,' not only our animal, but rational, and 



LIFE OF REV. 



J. FLETCHER. 



141 



spiritual 4 being ' I believe it, I say, therefore I write. 
May the powerful grain of faith remove the mountain 
of remaining unbelief, that you and I may see things as 
God sees them ! that we may no more judge by ap- 
pearances, but judge righteous judgment ; that we may 
no more walk by carnal sight, but by faith, the sight of 
God's children below ! When this is the case, we shall 
discover that the Creator is all indeed, and that crea- 
tures (which we are wont to put in his place since the 
fall) are mere nothings, passing clouds that our Sun of 
righteousness hath thought tit to clothe himself with, and 
paint some of his glory upon. In an instant he could 
scatter them into their original nothing, or resorb them 
for ever, and stand without competitor, mrv the Beixg. 
But suppose that all creatures should stand for ever little 
signatures of God, what are they even in their most 
glorious estate, but as tapers kindled by his light, as 
well as formed by his power ? Now conceive a Sun, a 
spiritual Sun, whose centre is everywhere, whose cir- 
cumference can be found nowhere: a Sun whose lustre 
as much surpasses the brightness of the luminary that 
rules the day, as the Creator surpasses the creature ; 
and say, what are the twinkling tapers of good men on 
earth, what is the smoking flax of wicked creatures — 
what the glittering stars of saints in heaven ? Why, 
they are all lost in his transcendent glory ; and if any 
of these would set himself up as an object of esteem, 
regard, or admiration, he must indeed be mad with self 
and pride ; he must be (as dear Mr. Harris hath often 
told us) a foolish apostate, a devil. Understand this, 
believe this, and you will sink to unknown depths of 
self-horror, for having aspired at being somebody, self- 
humiliation for seeing yourself nobody, or what is worse, 
an evil body. But I would not have you dwell even upon 
this evil, so as to lose sight of your Sun, unless it be to 
see him covered, on this account, with your flesh and 
blood, and wrapped in the cloud of our nature. Then 
you will cry out with St. Paul, O the depth ! Then, 
finding the manhood is again resorbed into the Godhead, 
you will gladly renounce all selfish, separate existence 
in Adam and from Adam : you will take Christ to be 
yorr life ; you will become his members by eating his 
flesh and drinking his blood ; you will consider his flesh 



142 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



as your flesh, his bone as your bone, his Spirit as you? 
spirit, his righteousness as your righteousness, his cross 
as your cross, and his crown (whether of thorns or 
glory) as your crown : you will reckon yourselves to 
be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, through 
this dear Redeemer ; you will renounce propriety, you 
will heartily and gladly say, 4 Not I, not I, but Christ 
liveth,' and only because he lives I do, and shall live 
also. When it is so with us, then are we creatures in 
our Creator, and redeemed creatures in our Redeemer. 
Then we understand and feel what he says : Separate 
from me, x^P^ € l u8 78 K7L ~ 8 8 $ £V £ ~ £ , X^P^ e H- 8 78 eurypog 

8 dwaatis ttolslv ndev — (Without me, the Creator, ye are 
nothing ; without me, the Saviour, ye can do nothing.) 
4 The moment I consider Christ and myself as two, I 
am gone,' says Luther, and I say so too ; I am gone 
into self, and into antichrist, for that which will be 
something, will not let Christ be all, and that which 
will not let Christ be all must certainly be antichrist. 
What a poor, jejune, dry thing is doctrinal Christianity, 
compared with the clear and heart-felt assent that the 
believer gives to these fundamental truths ! What life, 
what strength, what comfort flow out from them ! O 
my friends, let us believe, and we shall see, taste, and 
handle the word of life. When I stand in unbelief, I 
am like a drop of muddy water drying up in the sun 
of temptation ; I can neither comfort, nor help, nor 
preserve myself; when I do believe and close in with 
Christ, I am like that same drop losing itself in a 
boundless, bottomless sea of purity, light, life, power, 
and love ; there my good and my evil are equally no- 
thing, equally swallowed up, and grace reigns through 
righteousness unto eternal life. There I wish you all 
to be ; there I beg you and I may meet, with all God's 
children. I long to see you that I may impart unto 
you (should God make use of such a worm) some spi- 
ritual gift, and that I may be comforted by the mutual 
faith both of you and me, and by your growth in grace, 
and in Divine as well as human wisdom, during my long 
absence. 

" I hope matters will be contrived so that I may be 
with you, to behold your order, before the anniversary ; 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



143 



meanwhile I remain your affectionate fellow labourer 
and servant in the Gospel of Christ, J. F." 

23. But how came Mr. Fletcher to leave Trevecka ? 
Why did he give up an office for which he was so per- 
fectly well qualified, which he executed so entirely to 
the satisfaction of all the parties with whom he was con- 
cerned, and in which it had pleased God to give so 
manifest a blessing to his labours ? Perhaps it would be 
better, in tenderness to some persons eminent for piety 
and usefulness, to let that matter remain still under the 
veil which forgiving love has cast over it. But if it be 
thought that justice to his character, and to the cause 
which, from that time he so warmly espoused and 
so ably defended, requires some light to be cast upon 
it. it may be the most inoffensive way to do it in his own 
words. 

It will be proper to observe here, for the better under- 
standing of the following letter, that some time before 
Mr. Fletcher quitted Trevecka, I had been discharged 
from my office there; " not (as Mr. Wesley has justly 
observed in the former edition of this Life) for any de- 
fect of learning or piety, or any fault found with my 
behaviour ; for nothing of that kind was so much as 
pretended ; but wholly and solely because I did not be- 
lieve the doctrine of absolute predestination." 

24. The following is an exact copy of all that is ma- 
terial in a letter Mr. Fletcher wrote to me, in conse- 
quence of my dismission from the office I had sustained 
there : — 

" January 7, 1 111. 
" Dear Sir, — The same post brought me yours and 
two from my lady, and one from Mr. Williams, (a clergy- 
man, who, professing to be under serious impressions, 
had been permitted by her ladyship to stay a few weeks 
at the college ; but was neither master nor student, and 
termed by Mr. Fletcher ' a bird of passage.') Their let- 
ters contained no charges, but general ones, which with 
me go for nothing. If the procedure you mention be 
fact, and your letter be a fair account of the transactions 
and words relative to your discharge, a false step has 
been taken. I write by this post to her ladyship on the 
affair with all possible plainness. If the plan of the 
college be overthrown, I have nothing more to say to it. 



144 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



I will keep to my tent for one ; the confined tool of any 
one party I never was, and never will be. If the blow 
that should have been struck at the dead spirit is struck 
(contrary to the granted liberty of sentiment) at dead 
Arminius, or absent Mr. Wesley ; if a master is turned 
away without any fault, it is time for me to stand up 
with firmness, or to withdraw." 

At the same time the following paragraphs were tran- 
scribed and sent to me by Mr. Fletcher, from his letter 
to my lady on this occasion : — 

" Mr. Benson made a very just defence when he said 
he did hold with me the possibility of salvation for all 
men; that mercy is offered to all, and yet may be re- 
ceived or rejected. If this be what your ladyship calls 
Mr. Wesley's opinion, free will, and Arminianism, and 
if 6 every Arminian must quit the college,' I am actually 
discharged also. For in my present view of things I 
must hold that sentiment, if I believe that the Bible is 
true, and that God is love. 

' • For my part, I am no party man. In the Lord I am 
your servant, and that of your every student. But I 
cannot give up the honour of being connected with my 
old friends, who, notwithstaL ding their failings, are 
entitled to my respect, gratitude, and assistance, could 
I occasionally give them any. Mr. Wesley shall always 
be welcome to my pulpit, and I shall gladly bear my 
testimony in his, as well as in Mr. Whitefield's. But if 
your ladyship forbid your students to preach for the 
one, and offer them to preach for the other, at every 
turn ; and if a master is discarded for believing that 
Christ died for all ; then prejudice feigns ; charity is 
cruelly wounded ; and party spirit shouts, prevails, and 
triumphs." 

In the same letter in which he transcribed the above 
paragraphs, he, in a most Christian spirit, gave me the 
following caution : — " Take care, my dear sir, not to 
make matters worse than they are : and cast the mantle 
of forgiving love over the circumstances that might 
injure the cause of God, so far as it is put into the hands 
of that eminent lady, who hath so well deserved of the 
Church of Christ. Rather suffer in silence, than make 
a noise to cause the Philistines to triumph. Do not let 
go your .expectation of a baptism from above," (mean 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



145 



ing a larger measure of the influences of the Spirit of 
God, for which I was then much athirst.) " May you 
be supported and directed in this and every other trial, 
and may peace be extended to you as a river. Farewell 

" J, F." 

25. The above letter he directed to the New-Room, 
Horse Fair, Bristol, supposing it would find me there; 
but understanding by another letter from me that I was 
still in Wales, two days after he wrote again, repeating 
the chief part of the above letter, and adding, "I am 
determined to stand or fall with the liberty of the col- 
lege. As I entered it a free place, I must quit it the 
moment it is a harbour for party spirit. 

44 As I am resolved to clear up this matter, or quit my 
province, I beg you will help me to as many facts and 
words, truly done, and really spoken, as you can : 
whereby I may show," (to the parties concerned at 
Trevecka,) 44 that false reports, groundless suspicions, 
party spirit against Mr. Wesley, arbitrary proceedings, 
and unscriptural impulses, hold the reins and manage 
affairs in the college ; as also that the balance of opi- 
nions is not maintained, and Mr. Wesley's opinions are 
dreaded, and struck at, more than deadness of heart, 
and a wrong conduct." Here again as a Christian he 
cautions : 44 Do not make matters worse than they are ; 
I fear they are bad enough. So far as we can, let us 
keep this matter to ourselves. When you speak of it 
to others, rather endeavour to palliate than aggravate 
what hath been wrong in your opposers : remember 
that great lady has been an instrument of great good, 
and that there are great inconsistencies attending the 
greatest and best of men. Possess your soul in pa- 
tience ; see the salvation of God ; and believe, though 
against hope, that light will spring out of darkness. I 
am with concern for you and that poor college, yours, 
in Jesus, J. F." 

26. Soon after this he visited jthe college himself, 
when he had an opportunity of examining every thing 
on the spot, and of seeing, with his own eyes, how mat- 
ters were conducted. The following is the account 
which he gave me, as the result of his observations, in 
a letter dated March 22, 1771 :— 

" My Dear Friend, — On my arrival at the college, 1 
19 



146 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



found all very quiet, I feai through the enemy's keep- 
ing his goods in peace. While I preached the next day ? 
I found myself as much shackled as ever I was in my 
life. And after private prayer, I concluded I was not 
in my place. The same day I resigned my office to 
my lady, and on Wednesday to the students and the 
lord. Nevertheless I went on as usual, only had no 
heart to give little charges to the students as before. I 
should possibly have got over it as a temptation, if seve- 
ral circumstances had not confirmed me in my design. 
Two I shall mention, because they are worth a thousand. 
When Mr. Sh — y was at the college, what you had writ- 
ten upon the 'baptism of the Holy Ghost,' was taken to 
pieces. Mr. Sh — y maintained that the prophecy of 
Joel, Acts ii, had its complete fulfilment on the day of 
pentecost, and thus he turned the streams of living wa- 
ters into imperceptible dews, nemine contradicente, (no 
one gainsaying,) except two, who made one or two 
feeble objections : so that the point was, in my judg- 
ment, turned out of the college after you, and abused 
under the name of ^Perfection.' This showed I was 
not likely to receive or do any good there. 

" Some days after my arrival, however, I preached 

the good old doctrine before my lady and Mr. H . 

The latter talked also of imperceptible influences, and 
the former thanked me, but, in my apprehension, spoiled 
all by going to the college the next day, to give a charge 
partly against perfection in my absence. 

" In the meantime Mr. Shirley has sent my lady a 
copy of the doctrinal part of the Minutes of the last 
conference, (viz., of the year 1770.) They were called 
horrible, abominable, and subversive articuli stantis vel 
cadentis ecclesise : (of the pillar on which the Church 
stands, or with which it falls.) My lady told rae ' she 
must burn against them : and that whoever did not fully 
disavow them, should quit the college.' Accordingly 
an order came for the master, a very insufficient person, 
and the students, to write their sentiments upon them 
without reserve. I also did so ; explained them accord- 
ing to Mr. Wesley's sentiments ; and approved the doc- 
trine, blaming only the unguarded and not sufficiently 
explicit manner in which it was worded. I concluded 
by observing that as, after such a step on my part, and 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



147 



such a declaration on her ladyship's, I could no longer, 
as an honest man, stay in the college, I took my leave of 
it ; wishing my lady might find a minister to preside over 
it less insufficient, and more willing to go certain lengths 
into what appeared to me party spirit than I am. 

" To be short, I pleaded my cause with my lady, who 
seemed at last sensible of the force of my reasons. I 
advised her, as her college was Calvinistic, to get a Cal- 

vinistic president for it, and recommended Mr. R. H . 

My lady was so far prevailed upon by my stand for Mr. 
Wesley as to design to write him a civil letter, to demand 
an explication of the obnoxious propositions of the 
Minutes, and seemed rather for peace than war, and 
friendship eminus, (at a distance,) than battle cominus, 
(hand to hand.) Last Friday I left them all in peace, 
the servant, but no more the president of the college. 
My lady behaved with great candour and condescension 
toward me in the affair. As for you, you are still out 
of her books, and ne likely so to continue. Your last 
letters have only ihrown oil upon the fire : all was seen 
in the same light in which Mr. Wesley's letter appeared. 
You were accused of having alienated my heart from 
the college ; but I have cleared you. 

" I rejoice that your desires after a larger measure of 
the Holy Spirit increase. Part rather with your heart's 
blood than with them. Let me meet you at the throne 
of grace, and send me word how you dispose of your- 
self. If you are at a loss for a prophet's room, remem- 
ber I have one here, J. F." 

27. Such were the reasons why Mr. Fletcher resigned 
his charge at Trevecka. Soon after this, the contro- 
versy respecting the propositions of the before men- 
tioned Minutes began. For although Lady H. had sig- 
nified to Mr. Fletcher that it was her design to write 
to Mr. Wesley, and demand an explication of these ob- 
noxious propositions, it does not appear that this was ever 
done, either by her ladyship or any one of her friends. 
On the contrary, the well known Circular Letter now 
went abroad, under the name of Mr. Shirley, inviting 
the clergy of all denominations to assemble in a body at 
Bristol, to oppose Mr. Wesley and the preachers, when 
they should meet in conference, which they were ex- 
pected to do in the beginning of the ensuing August, 



148 



LIFE 01 REV. J. FLETCHER. 



and to oblige them to revoke the dreadful heresies con- 
tained in those Minutes. As Mr. Fletcher thought the 
Churches throughout Christendom were verging very 
fast toward Antinomianism, he judged the propositions 
contained in those Minutes ought rather to be confirmed 
than revoked. And as he was now retired to his parish, 
he had more leisure for such a work than before. 
Therefore, after much prayer and consideration, he de- 
termined to write in defence of them. In how able a 
manner he did this, I need not tell any that have read 
those incomparable writings. I know not how to give 
the character of them better than in the words of Dr. 
Dixon, then principal of Edmund-Hall, Oxford, whose 
kindness to me I shall ever remember, and to whom I 
sent Mr. Fletcher's Checks, with a recommendatory let- 
ter. He answered me as follows : — 

"Dear Sir, — When I first read yours, I must own 
I suspected your friendship for Mr. Fletcher had made 
you too lavish in your commendation of his writings ; 
and that when I came to read them, I should find some 
abatements necessary to be made. But now I have read 
them, I am far from thinking you have spoken extrava- 
gantly ; or, indeed, that too much can be said in com- 
mendation of them. I had not read his first letter be- 
fore I was so charmed with the spirit as well as the 
abilities of the writer, that the gushing tear could not 
be hindered from giving full testimony of my heart-felt 
satisfaction. Perhaps some part of this pleasure might 
arise from finding my own sentiments so fully embraced 
by the author. But sure I am, the greatest share of it 
arose from finding those benevolent doctrines so firmly 
established ; and that with such judgment, clearness, 
and precision, as are seldom, very seldom, to be met 
with. What crowns the whole is, the amiable and 
Christian temper, which those who will not be convinced, 
must, however, approve, and wish that their own doc- 
trines maybe constantly attended with the same spirit.' 5 

28. " How much good," says Mr. Wesley, "has been 
occasioned by the publication of that Circular Letter! 
This was the happy occasion of Mr. Fletcher's writing 
those 8 Checks to Antinomianism,' in which one knows 
not which to admire most, the -purity of the language ; 
(such as scarce any foreigner wrote before ;) the 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



14S 



strength and clearness of the argument ; or the mild- 
ness and sweetness of the spirit that breathes through- 
out the whole. Insomuch that I nothing wonder at a 
serious clergyman who, being resolved to live and die 
in his own opinion, when he was pressed to read them, 
replied, 4 No, I will never read Mr. Fletcher's Checks : 
for if I did, I should be of his mind.' " 

29. A short extract from two or three of his letters, 
vtill show what was his state of mind at this crisis. 
" How much water," says he to me, August 24, of the 
same year, " may at last rush out of a little opening ! 
What are our dear 1 — 's jealousies come to ? Ah, poor 
college ! Their conduct, and charges of heresy, &c, 
among other reasons, have stirred me up to write in de- 
fence of the Minutes. I have received this morning a 
most kind letter from Mr. Shirley, whom I pity much 
now. He is gone to Wales, probably to consult (with 
her 1 — p) what to do in the present case. Methinks I 
dream, when I reflect I have wrote on controversy ! 
The last subject I thought I should have meddled with. 
I expect to be roughly handled on the account. Lord, 
prepare me for this, and every thing that may make me 
cease from man, and above all from your unworthv 
friend, J. F." 

Three months after, he writes as follows in answer to 
a letter of mine, in which I had taken the liberty of 
advising him to use much precision in stating the scrip- 
tural doctrine respecting works being the necessary 
fruits of faith. His words demonstrate the deep humi- 
lity of his mind, and the mean opinion he had of him- 
self, even as a writer, in which province he certainly 
greatly excelled: " I thank you for your caution about 
works. I sent last week a letter of fifty pages upon 
Antinomianism to the book steward. I beg, as upon 
my bended knees," you would revise and correct it, and 
take off quod durius sonat (what sounds harsh) in point 
of works, (subject,) reproof, and style. I have followed 
my light, which is but that of a smoking flax : put yours 
to mine. I am charged hereabouts with scattering fire- 
brands, arrows, and death. Quench some of my brands, 
blunt some of my arrows, and take off all my deaths, 
except that which I design for Antinomianism. 

" As I have taken up my pen, I will clear myself in 



150 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



another respect, that is, with regard to the Antinomian 
opposition made to Christian perfection. I have begun 
my tract, and hope to tell the truth in perfect consistency 
with Mr. Wesley's system. I once begged you would 
give me a copy of what you wrote upon it. Now is the 
time to repeat that request. Send it me (with additions, 
if you can) as soon as possible. When I send my manu- 
script to London, remember it will be chiefly for your 
alterations and corrections." 

30. The reader will observe that at this time his Ap 
peal to Matter of Fact and Common Sense, that admi- 
rable treatise on the subject of original sin, and human 
depravity, was not published. It had indeed been com- 
posed near a year before. I saw it in manuscript at 
Madeley the January preceding, and read most of it 
over with him, while his humility induced him con- 
stantly to urge, as in the above letter, that I would pro- 
pose any alterations or corrections which I thought 
proper to be made. In his next letter, dated December 
10th, he mentions the apprehension he was under that 
the manuscript was lost. He had left it at Bristol, and 
having sent for it from thence, with a view to make 
^ome farther improvements in the style or matter be- 
fore it was sent to the press, it had not arrived as 
expected, nor been heard of for many weeks. How- 
ever, he was quite easy under the apprehended loss, 
which certainly would not have been a small one, as any 
person will judge, who considers how much thought and 
time such a work must have cost him. It was found, 
however, by and by, had the finishing hand put to it, 
and was published to the conviction and edification of 
thousands. I hardly know a treatise that has been so 
universally read, or made so eminently useful. 

31. Mr. Fletcher's pen, however, was chiefly employed 
at this time and thenceforward, as long as his health 
permitted him to write at all, on controversial subjects ; 
subjects in which he at first engaged with great reluc- 
tance, which he never loved, which he was frequently 
disposed to have relinquished, had a sense of duty per- 
mitted him so to do ; but which he never repented hav- 
ing undertaken to discuss and elucidate. It is true, he 
met with no little opposition, and even reproach, while 
he was .engaged in writing on these subjects. As he 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



151 



says in a letter to Mr. Charles Wesley, written about 
this time, he " met with the loss of friends, and with the 
charges of novel chimeras on both sides." Some that 
had loved him as their own souls before, being vexed 
and chagrined at finding their favourite opinions, which 
they had laid as the foundation of their hopes, under- 
mined and overthrown, poured forth their abuse in a 
very liberal manner. One warm young man in parti- 
cular, whom I well knew, and who, while a student at 
Trevecka, had revered and loved Mr. Fletcher as a 
father, after using many reproachful expressions, added, 
as a finishing stroke, " If you die in the faith your book 
maintains, you will be shut out of heaven." " You see 
by this," says Mr. Fletcher to me in the letter in which 
he mentions that circumstance, " I cut rather deeper 
than our friends can bear." This was in February, 
1772, when his Third Check, in answer to the author 
of Pietas Oxoniensis, was in the press ; at which time, 
he says, " I long to be out of controversy : I make a 
bridge in my postscript for a retreat :" which words 
were dictated, not by any distrust of the truth or im- 
portance of the principles he had espoused, or of his 
ability, through Divine aid, to defend them ; but by his 
love of peace and unanimity among the followers of 
Jesus, and his great and constant aversion to dispute and 
contention. 

32. That Mr. Fletcher had no doubt but controversy, 
on- some occasions, is both expedient and necessary, 
yea, and productive of much good to the Church of God, 
is certain from what he observes on this subject in the 
beginning of the last mentioned tract. Mr. Hill had said, 
in the title page of his Five Letters, to which that tract 
was an answer, that a concern for " mourning back- 
sliders, and such as have been distressed by reading Mr. 
Wesley's Minutes, or the Vindication of them," had in- 
duced him to write : " Permit me to inform you in my 
turn," says Mr. Fletcher,* " that I fear lest Dr. Crisp'sf 
balm should be applied instead of the balm of Gilead, to 
Laodicean loiterers, who may haply have been brought 
to penitential distress, obliges me to answer you in the 
same public manner in which you address me. Some of 

* Third Check, p. 3. 

i Dr. Crisp was an Antinomian in doctrine. 



152 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



our friends will undoubtedly blame us for not yet drop- 
ping the contested point ; but others will candidly con- 
sider that controversy, though not desirable in itself, yet 
properly managed, has a hundred times rescued truth 
groaning under the lash of triumphant error. We are 
indebted to our Lord's controversies with the Pharisees 
and scribes for a considerable part of the four gospels 
And, to the end of the world, the Church will bless God 
for the spirited manner in which St. Paul, in his Epistles 
to the Romans and Galatians, defended the controverted 
point of a believer's present justification by faith, as well 
as for the steadiness with which St. James, St. John, St. 
Peter, and St. Jude carried on their important contro- 
versy with the Nicolaitans, who abused St. Paul's doc- 
trine to Antinomian purposes. Had it not been for 
controversy, Romish priests would to this day feed us 
with Latin masses and a wafer god. Some bold pro- 
positions advanced by Luther against the doctrine of 
indulgences unexpectedly brought on the Reformation. 
They were so irrationally attacked by the infatuated 
Papists, and so scripturaliy defended by the resolute 
Protestants, that these kingdoms opened their eyes, and 
saw thousands of images and errors fall before the ark 
of evangelical truth. 

" From what I have advanced," proceeds Mr. Fletcher, 
" in my Second Check, it appears, if I am not mistaken, 
that we stand now as much in need of a reformation from 
Antinomianism as our ancestors did of a reformation 
from popery ; and I am not without hope, that the ex- 
traordinary attack which has lately been made on Mr. 
Wesley's Anti-Crispian propositions, and the manner in 
which they are defended, will open the eyes of many, 
and check the rapid progress of so enchanting and per- 
nicious an evil. This hope inspires me with fresh cou- 
rage : and turning from the honourable and Rev. Mr. 
Shirley, I presume to face, I trust in the spirit of love 
and meekness, my new respectable opponent.' 9 

Such were Mr. Fletcher's views when he began his 
Third Check, and they were not changed when he had 
finished it, nor indeed when he had finished the Fourth, 
which he wrote in the spring of this same year. A 
friend has favoured me with a letter of his, in his own 
handwriting, to Mr. Charles Perronet, son of the Rev 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



153 



Vincent Perronet, vicar of Shoreham, dated Septem- 
ber 7th, 1772, in which he observes : — " Mr. Hill, sen., 
hath complimented me with eleven letters," (including 
the former five, in answer to which he wrote the Third 
Check, and the latter six, which were answered in the 
Fourth,) " and his brother, Mr. R. Hill, with another, 
one half of which is employed in passing sentence upon 
my spirit. I have answered them both in a Fourth 
Check, which I hope will decide the controversy about 
the important Anti-Crispian doctrine of justification by 
(the evidence of) works in the last day. If that doc- 
trine stand, there is an end of imputed righteousness," 
that is, in the Antinomian sense of the phrase, " absolute 
election and predestination. And I do not see that they 
have any thing to object to, but mere cavils which dis- 
grace their cause." 

33. The intelligent and pious person to whom this let- 
ter was written, was at that time under affliction which 
had considerably reduced his strength and depressed his 
spirits. The reader will be pleased, and I hope also 
profited, by Mr. Fletcher's address to him on this occa- 
sion, which I copy from the same letter. 

" My Very Dear Friend, — No cross, no crown : 
the heavier the cross, the brighter the crown. I wish 
you joy, while I mourn, about the afflictions which work 
out for you an exceedingly greater weight of glory ; 
(greater, he means, than he could otherwise have en 
joyed.) 

' O for a firm and lasting faith, 
To credit all th' Almighty saith!' 

Faith, I mean the evidence of things not seen, is a 
powerful cordial to support and exhilarate us under the 
heaviest pressures of pain and temptation. By faith we 
see things visible as temporal, fading ; as a showy cloud 
that passes away. By faith we live upon the invisible, 
eternal God : we believe that in him we live, move, and 
have our being : we begin to feel after, find, and enjoy 
our Root ; and insensibly we slide from self into God, 
from the visible into the invisible, from the carnal into 
the spiritual, from time into eternity. Here all husks 
of flesh and blood break. Here our spirits are ever 
voim^, they live in and upon the very fountain of 

20 



154 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



strength, sprightliness, and joy. I grant that the un- 
happy medium of corruptible flesh and blood stands 
much in our way : but if it hinder us from enjoying 
God, it makes way for our giving more glory to him, 
by believing his naked truth. O my friend. let us rest 
more upon the truth as it is in Jesus, and it will make 
us more abundantly free, till we are free indeed ; free 
to suffer as well as to triumph with him. Of late I have 
been brought to feed more upon Jesus as the truth. I 
see more in him in that character than I ever did. I 
am persuaded that, if you study him, you will see new 
beauties in him in that point of view. Perpetual com- 
forts are hardly consistent with a state of trial. (I ex- 
cept the comforts that are inseparable from a calm 
acquiescing in the truth and the enjoyment of a good 
conscience.) Our bodies cannot long bear raptures : 
but the silent beams of truth can always insinuate them- 
selves into the believing soul, to stay it upon the couch 
of pain, and in the arms of death. I see Christ the 
truth of my life, friends, relations, sense, food, raiment, 
light, fire, resting place, &c. All out of him are but 
shadows. All in him are blessed sacraments, I mean 
visible signs of the fountain, or little vehicles to convey 
the streams of inward grace. As for pain, &c, it is 
only the struggle of fallen nature, in order to a full birth 
into the world of unmixed bliss. Let us bear it cheer- 
fully, as Sarah did, when she was delivered of Isaac. 
I am glad the Lord supports you under your troubles. 
Arise, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee. 
Enjoy one blessing as much as nature would repine under 
ten crosses. The Lord direct us by his light, and rill 
us with his love. The God of peace be with you. and 
raise you up to stand by his truth and people, and be- 



34. Goci, however, did not see fit to grant this request 
of his servant. Mr. C. Perronet's health declined more 
and more, and in less than four years after the affliction 
terminated in his death. The following short extract 
of a letter, addressed by Mr. Fletcher to his reverend 
and pious father on this occasion, will at once edify and 
please the reader : — 

" Honoured and Rev. Sir, — To inform you of what 



come more ripe for glory ! 
Him who is all in all. 



Adieu ! I am vours in 
J. F." 



LIFE OF REV. J * FLETCHER. 



155 



you cannot but be acquainted with is superfluous, but to 
congratulate you upon what I know you exult in, is the 
duty both of religion and friendship. Methinks, then, I 
see you, right honoured sir, mounted as another Moses 
on the top of Pisgah, and through the telescope of faith 
descrying the promised land ; or rather, in the present 
instance, I observe you standing, like another Joshua, on 
the banks of Jordan, viewing all Israel, with your son 
among them, passing over the river to their great pos- 
sessions. Permit me, therefore, in consideration of your 
years and office, to exclaim, in the language of young 
Elisha to his ancient seer, ; My father ! My father ! The 
chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.' 

* There, there they are, and there is he, your son ! 
Whom faith pursues, and eager hope discerns, 
In yon bright chariot as a cherub borne 
On wings of love, to uncreated realms 
Of deathless joy, and everlasting peace.' " 

35. The preceding letters, and others written about 
the same time, with the testimony of divers of his friends 
who were in the habit of seeing and conversing with 
him frequently, make it evident that Mr. Fletcher's spi- 
rit suffered no declension as to genuine piety, meekness, 
or benevolence, during this controversy. 

September 21, 1773, he says to Mr. Ireland : — " I 
see life so short, and that time passes away with such 
rapidity, that I should be very glad to spend it in solemn 
prayer ; but it is necessary that a man should have some 
exterior occupation. The chief thing is to employ our- 
selves profitably. My throat is not formed for the 
labours of preaching : when I have preached three or 
four times together, it inflames and fills up ; and the 
efforts which I am then obliged to make in speaking 
heat my blood. Thus I am, by nature as well as by the 
circumstances I am in, obliged to employ my time in 
writing a little. O that I may be enabled to do it to the 
glory of God ! Let us love this good God, who hath so 
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
we might not perish, but have everlasting life. How 
sweet is it, on our knees, to receive this Jesus, this hea- 
venly gift, and to offer our praises and thanks to our 
heavenly Father ! The Lord teach me four lessons ; 
the first is, to be thankful that I am not in hell ; the 



156 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



second, to become nothing before him ; the third, t® 
receive the gift of God — the person of Jesus ; and the 
fourth, to feel my want of the spirit of Jesus, and to 
wait for it. These four lessons are very deep. O when 
shall I have learned them ! Let us go together to the 
school of Jesus, and learn to be meek and lowly in heart. 
Adieu, * J. F." 

About six months afterward his words to the same 
person are: — "I have just spirit enough to enjoy my 
solitude, and to bless God that I am out of the hurry of 
the world, even the spiritual world. I tarry gladly in 
my Jerusalem till the kingdom of God come with power. 
Till then it matters not where I am : only as my chief 
call is here, here I gladly stay, till God fit me for the 
pulpit or the grave. I still spend my mornings in scrib- 
bling. Though I grudge so much time in writing, yet a 
man must do something ; and I may as well investigate 
truth as do any thing else, except solemn praying and 
visiting my flock. I shall be glad to have done with my 
present avocation that I may give myself up more to 
those two things." 

36. He was now engaged in writing his "Equal 
Check to Pharisaism and Antinomianism," which he 
intended to be, and which certainly is, 44 as much in be 
half of free grace as of holiness" 44 It will be of a 
reconciling nature," says he, 44 and on a plan on which 
all the candid and moderate will be able to shake 
hands." This Check was written in the latter end of 
the year 1773, and the beginning of 1774, and published 
soon after ; at which time the common and equal friend 
of Mr. Fletcher and Lady H had proposed an in- 
terview between them. On this occasion Mr. Fletcher 
writes as follows : — 

44 In the present circumstances it was a great piece of 
condescension in dear Lady Huntingdon to be willing 
to see me privately ; but for her to permit me to wait 
upon her openly, denotes such generosity, such courage, 
and a mind so much superior to the narrowness that 
clogs the charity of most professors, that it would have 
amazed me if every thing that is noble and magnanimous 
were not to be expected from her ladyship. It is well 
for her that spirits are imprisoned in flesh and blood, or 
I might by this time (and it is but an hour since 1 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



15? 



received your letter) have troubled her ten times with my 
apparition, to wish her joy of being above the danger- 
ous snare of professors — the smiles and frowns of the 
religious world ; and to thank her a thousand times for 
not being ashamed of her old servant, and for cordially 
"or giving him all that is past, upon the score of the 
Lord's love, and of my honest meaning." 

A few weeks after he observes farther : — " How kind 
is my lady to offer to interpose, and to wipe off the as- 
persions of my London accusers. I had before sent my 
reply, which was only a plain narrative of two facts, 
upon which it appeared to me the capital charges were 
founded, together with some gentle expostulations, 
which I hope have had the desired effect. Give my 
duty to my lady, and thank her a thousand times for 
this new addition to all her former favours, till I have 
an opportunity of doing it in person. 

" 1 get very slowly out of the mire of my controversy, 
and yet I hope to get over it, if God spare my life, in 
two or three pieces more. Since I wrote last, I have 
added to my Equal Check a piece which I call 6 An 
Essay on Truth, or a Rational Vindication of the Doc- 
trine of Salvation by Faith,' which I have taken the 
liberty to dedicate to Lady Huntingdon, to have an op- 
portunity of clearing her ladyship from the charge of 
Antinomianism. I have taken this step in the simpli- 
city of my heart, and as due from me, in my circum- 
stances, to the character of her ladyship. Mr. H — t — n 
called sometime after the letter was printed, and said, 
4 It will not be well taken.' I hope better ; but be it as 
it mav, I shall have the satisfaction 'of having meant 
well.'' 

37. As Mr. Fletcher's own views of this controversy, 
when it appeared to be drawing to a close, and the state 
of his mind at that period, are certainly very important 
particulars of his life, and distinguishing traits of his 
character; and as they will be best learned from the 
private and confidential letters which were written at 
the time to his intimate friends, the reader will not be 
sorry to see them still farther delineated in extracts 
from two or three more of his epistles. Those address- 
ed to me I the rather insert, as no part of them has been 
published before, and I think they all contain observa- 



158 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



tions well worthy of being known and preserved, and 
which would probably otherwise perish in oblivion. 
March 20, 1774, he wrote to me as follows : — 

" My Dear Brother, — I am two kind letters in your 
debt ; for both which accept the best thanks that grate- 
ful brotherly love can muster "up in my breast. Your 
first letter I did not answer through a variety of avoca- 
tions : the second I answer by our Elijah, (Mr. Wesley.) 
I do not repent having engaged in the present contro- 
versy, for though I think my little publications cannot 
reclaim those who are given up to believe the lie of the 
day, yet they may here and there stop one from swal- 
lowing it at all, or from swallowing it so deeply as other- 
wise he might have done. In preaching I do not 
meddle with the points discussed, unless my text lead 
me to it, and then I think them important enough not to 
be ashamed of them before my people. 

" I am just finishing an Essay on Truth, which I de- 
licate to Lady H , wherein you will see my latest 

views of that important subject. My apprehensions of 
things have not changed since I saw you last ; save that 
in one thing I have seen my error. An over eager 
attention to the doctrine of the Spirit has made me, in 
some degree, overlook the medium by which the Spirit 
works, I mean the word of truth, which is the wood by 
which the heavenly fire warms us. I rather expected 
lightning than a steady fire by means of fuel. I men- 
tion my error to you lest you too should be involved 
therein. May the Lord help us to steer clear of every 
rock. My controversy weighs upon my hands : but I 
must go through' with it, which I hope will be done in 
two or three pieces more : one of which, 6 Scripture 
Scales to weigh the Gold of Gospel Truth,' may be 
more useful than the Checks, as being more literally 
scriptural. I have exchanged a couple of friendly let- 
ters with Lady H , who gives me leave to see her 

publicly : but I think it best to postpone that honour 
till I have cleared my mind. Should you see my Essay 
on Truth, I pray God it may help you to discern the 
depth of Rom. x, 10. By overlooking the rounds of 
the mysterious ladder of truth that are within our reach, 
and fixing our eyes on those that are above us, we are 
often at a stand, and give ourselves and others needless 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



159 



trouble. I shall be glad to see the productions of your 
pen. I hope they will add to my little stock of truth 
and love. Let us believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let 
us love one another, serve our generation, and hopefully 
wait for the glorious revelation of the Son of God. That 
your soul may live the most abundant life, is the prayer 
of your loving brother, J, F." 

38. The Essay on Truth, referred to by Mr. Fletcher 
in so many of the letters which he wrote about this time, 
was viewed by him as peculiarly important, and as con- 
taining doctrines particularly suited to the slate of the 
Church of Christ at that time. " I am glad," says he 
to Mr. Charles Wesley, in the beginning of the next 
year, " you did not altogether disapprove my Essay on 
Truth. The letter, I grant, profiteth little, until the 
Spirit animate it. I had, some weeks ago, one of those 
touches which realize, or rather spiritualize the letter ; 
and it convinced me more than ever that what I say in 
that tract of the spirit, and of faith, is truth. I am also 
persuaded that the faith and spirit which belong to 
'perfect Christianity are at a very low ebb. even among 
believers. When the Son of man cometh to set up his 
kingdom, shall he find Christian faith upon the earth? 
Yes, but I fear as little as he found of Jewish faith when 
he came in the flesh. I believe you cannot rest with the 
easy Antinomian, or the busy Pharisee. You and I 
have nothing to do but to die to all that is of a sinful 
nature, and to pray for the power of an endless life. 
God make us faithful to our convictions, and keep us 
from the snares of outward things ! 

" I feel the force of what you say in your last, about 
the danger of so encouraging the inferior dispensations 
as to make people rest short of the faith which belongs 
to perfect Christianity. I have tried to obviate it in 
some parts of the Equal Check, and hope to do it more 
effectually in my reply to Mr. Hill's Creed for Perfec- 
tionists. I expect a letter from you on the subject: 
write with openness, and do not fear to discourage me 
by speaking your disapprobation of what you dislike. 
My aim is to be found at the feet of all, bearing and 
forbearing, until truth and love bring better days." 

39. About this time, having used in some small degree 
the liberty which his humility induced him to give me, 



160 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



and having sent him two or three trivial remarks on 
some expressions which occurred in the above men- 
tioned essay, I received from him the following letter, 
which I think important enough to be inserted here, and 
with which I shall close this chapter: — 

" My Dear Brother, — I have had two printers upon 
my heels beside my common business, and this is enough 
to make me tresspass upon the patience of my friends 
I have published the first part of my Scales, which has 
gone through a second edition in London before I could 
get the second part printed in Salop, where it will be 
published in about six weeks. I have also published a 
Creed for the Arminians, where you will see that if I 
have not answered your critical remarks upon my Essay 
on Truth, 1 have improved by them, yea, publicly re- 
canted the two expressions you mentioned as improper. 
For any such remarks I shall always be peculiarly 
thankful to you, and hope you will always find me open 
to conviction. With respect to the sermons you have 
thoughts of publishing, I say, follow your own con- 
science and the advice of the judicious friends about 
you : and put me among your subscribers, as I believe 
they will be worth a careful perusal, as well as to matter, 
as method and style. I am so tied up here, both by my 
parish duty and controversial writings that I cannot 
hope to see you unless you come into these parts. In the 
meantime let us meet at the throne of grace. In Jesus 
time and distance are lost. He is a universal, eternal 
life of righteousness, peace, and joy. I am glad you 
have some encouragement in Scotland. The Lord grant 
you more and more. L'se yourself, however, to go 
against wind and tide, as I do, and take care that our 
wise dogmatical friends in the north do not rob you of 
your childlike simplicity. Remember that the myste- 
ries of the kingdom are revealed to babes. You maybe 
afraid of being a fool without being afraid of being a 
babe. You may be childlike without being childish. 
Simplicity of intention and purity of affection will go 
through the world, through hell itself. In the mean- 
lime let us see that we do not so look at our little pub- 
lications, or to other people, as to forget that Christ is 
our object, our sun, our shield. To his inspiration, 
comfort, and projection. I earnestly recommend your 



LlFt OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 161 

soul ; and the labours of your heart, tongue, and pen, 
to his blessing ; entreating you to beg, at the throne of 
grace, all the wisdom and grace needful for your steady, 
affectionate friend and brother, J. F«'' 



CHAPTER VL 

Of his declining state of health, the progress of his disorder, 
and his behaviour under it, with an account of his other polemi- 
cal writings, and the conclusion of the controversy. 

1. The frequent journeys which Mr. Fletcher took to 
and from Trevecka while he presided over the college, 
in all weathers, and at all seasons of the year, greatly 
impaired the firmness of his constitution. And in some 
of those journeys he had not only difficulties but dan- 
gers likewise to encounter. One day as he was riding 
over a wooden bridge, just as he got to the middle 
thereof, it broke in. The mare's fore legs sunk into 
the river, but her breast and hinder parts were kept up 
by the bridge. In that position she lay as still as if she 
had been dead, till he got over her neck and took off 
his bags, in which were several manuscripts, the spoil- 
ing of which would have occasioned him much trouble. 
He then endeavoured to raise her up ; but she would 
not stir till he went over the other part of the bridge. 
But no sooner did he set his foot upon the ground than 
she began to plunge. Immediately the remaining- part 
of the bridge broke down, and sunk with her into the 
river. But presently she rose up again, swam out, and 
came to him. 

2. About this time, Mr. Pilmoor being desirous to see 
the inside of a coalpit, Mr. Fletcher went with him to 
the bottom of a sloping pit, which was supposed to be 
near a mile under the ground. They returned out of it 
without any inconvenience. But the next day, while 
several colliers were there, a damp took fire, which 
went off with a vast explosion, and killed all the men 
that were in it. 

3. In February, 1773, Mr. Wesley received from him 
die following letter : — ■ 

21 







162 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



"Rev. and Dear Sir, — I hope the Lord, who has so 
wonderfully stood by you hitherto, will preserve you to 
see many of your sheep, and me among them, enter 
into rest. Should Providence call you first, I shall do 
my best, by the Lord's assistance, to help your brother 
to gather the wreck, and keep together those who are 
not absolutely bent to throw away the Methodist doc- 
trines and discipline as soon as he that now letteth is 
removed out of the way. Every help will then be ne- 
cessary, and I shall not be backward to throw in my 
mite. In the meantime you sometimes need an assist- 
ant to serve tables, and occasionally fill up a gap. Pro- 
vidence visibly appointed me to that office many years 
ago. And though it no less evidently called me hither, 
yet I have not been without doubts, especially for some 
years past, whether it would not be expedient that I 
should resume my office as your deacon ; not with any 
view of presiding over the Methodists after you, but to 
ease you a little in your old age, and to be in the way 
of receiving, perhaps doing more good. I have some- 
times thought how shameful it was that no clergyman 
should join you, to keep in the Church the work God 
has enabled you to carry on therein. And as the little 
estate I have in my own country is sufficient for my 
maintenance, I have thought I would, one day or other, 
offer you and the Methodists my free service. While 
my love of retirement made me linger, I was providen- 
tially led to do something on Lady Huntingdon's plan. 
But being shut out there, it appears to me I am again 
called to my first work. Nevertheless I would not leave 
this place without a fuller persuasion that the time is 
quite come. Not that God uses me much here ; but I 
have not yet sufficiently cleared my conscience from the 
blood of all men. Meantime I beg the Lord to guide 
me by his counsel, and make me willing to go anywhere 
or nowhere, to be any thing or nothing. Help by your 
prayers, till you can bless by word of mouth, reverend 
and dear sir, your willing though unprofitable servant 
in the Gospel, J. F. 

"Madeley, Feb. 6, 1773." 

4. On this letter Mr. Wesley remarks as follows: — 
" 4 Providence,' says Mr. Fletcher, 4 visibly appointed 
me to that office many years ago.' Is it any wonder, 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 163 

then, that he should now be in doubt, whether he did 
right in confining himself to one spot? The more I 
reflect upon it, the more I am convinced he had great 
reason to doubt of this. I can never believe it was the 
will of God that such a burning and shining light should 
be hid under a bushel. No, instead of being confined 
to a country village, it ought to have shone in every 
corner of our land. He was full as much called to 
sound an alarm through all the nation, as Mr. Whitefield 
himself: nay, abundantly more so, seeing he was far 
better qualified for that important work. He had a more 
striking person, equal good breeding, an equally winning 
address ; together with a richer flow of fancy, a stronger 
understanding, a far greater treasure of learning, both 
in languages, philosophy, philology, and divinity ; and 
above all, (which I can speak with fuller assurance, be- 
cause I had a thorough knowledge both of one and the 
other,) a more deep and constant communion with the 
Father, and with the Son, Jesus Christ. 

" And yet let not any one imagine that I depreciate 
Mr. Whitefield, or undervalue the grace of God, and the 
extraordinary gifts which his great Master vouchsafed 
unto him. I believe he was highly favoured of God ; 
yea, that he was one of the most eminent ministers that 
has appeared in England, or perhaps in the world, dur- 
ing the present century. Yet I must own, I have known 
many fully equal to Mr. Whitefield, both in holy tempers 
and holiness of conversation : but one equal herein to 
Mr. Fletcher I have not known, no, not in a life of four- 
score years. 

5. " However, having chosen," proceeds Mr. Wesley, 
" at least for the present, this narrow field of action, he 
was more and more abundant in his ministerial labours, 
both in public and in private : not contenting himself with 
preaching, but visiting his flock in every corner of his 
parish. And this work he attended to, early or late, 
whether the weather was fair or foul ; regarding neither 
heat nor cold, rain nor snow, whether he was on horse- 
back or on foot. But this farther weakened his consti- 
tution ; which was still more effectually impaired by his 
intense and uninterrupted studies ; in which he fre- 
quentlv continued, almost without any intermission, 
f -**teen, fifteen, 01 sixteen hours a day. But still he 



164 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



did not allow himself such food as was necessary to 
sustain nature. He seldom took any regular meals, ex- 
cept he had company : otherwise twice or thrice in 
four and twenty hours, he ate some bread and cheese, or 
fruit. Instead of this he sometimes took a draught of 
milk, and then wrote on again." 

6. The works which Mr. Fletcher had in hand, chiefly, 
at this time, were three ; L Zelotes and Honestus recon- 
ciled : or, an Equal Check to Pharisaism and Antinomi- 
anism continued," including the first and second part of 
the Scripture Scales; 2. " The Fictitious and Genuine 
Creed ; and 3. His treatise on Christian Perfection, 
termed by him, " A Polemical Essay on the Twin Doc- 
trines of Christian Imperfection and a Death Purga- 
tory." All these were published in the year 1775, and 
the two former, it seems, written in the year preceding. 
He had promised also to his readers an answer to Mr. 
Toplady's pamphlet, entitled " More work for Mr. Wes- 
ley." But this he postponed for the present, because 
he judged the pieces just mentioned to be of greater 
importance, and therefore as deserving and requiring 
his earliest attention. " He saw life," as he observes in 

^ an advertisement prefixed to the first edition of his Scrip- 
ture Scales, " to be so uncertain, that of two things, 
which he was obliged to do, he thought it his duty to 
set about that which appeared to him the more useful. 
He considered also that it was proper to have quite done 
with Mr. Hill before he faced Mr. Toplady. And he 
hoped that to lay before the judicious a complete sys- 
tem of truth, which, like the sun, recommends itself 
by its own lustre, was perhaps the best method to prove 
that error which shines only as a meteor, is nothing but 
a mock sun. However, he fully designed, he says, to 
perform his engagement in a short time, if his life were 
spared." 

7. This was his language, Nov. 12, 1774 ; and on July 
the 12th following, in a letter to me from Madeley, he 
says : — " I have just finished my treatise on Perfection. 
It will be a large book : but I thought I must treat the 
subject fully, or not meddle with it." This he had no 
sooner completed than he began other equally important 
works. In the second part of his Scripture Scales, he 
had advertised a tract in the following words : " The 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



IG5 



Doctrines of Grace reconciled to the Doctrines of Jus- 
tice, being an Essay on Election and Reprobation, in 
which the defects of Pelagianism, Calvinism, and Arn.i- 
nianism, are impartially pointed out, and primitive, scrip- 
tural harmony is more fully restored to the Gospel of 
the day." It is probable that he had this chiefly in his 
riew, together with the forementioned answer to Mr. 
Toplady, when in the latter end of the same year he 
says to Mr. Charles Wesley, "I see the end of my con- 
troversial race, and I have such courage to run it out, 
that I think it my bounden duty to run and strike my 
blow, and fire my gun, before the water of discourage- 
ment has quite wetted the gunpowder of my activity." 
This allusion to the work of a soldier dropped from his 
pen in the beginning of the American war, (which seems 
to have suggested the idea,) when the dispute between 
Great Britain and her colonies became so hot, and threat- 
ened such dreadful calamities to both countries that the 
attention even of religious people was generally turned 
from every other controversy to that alone. Mr. Fletcher 
therefore deferred the publication, and, I believe, the 
finishing of the tracts just mentioned, for the present ; 
and from a sense of duty to his king and country, as 
well as to the Church of God both here and in America, 
began to employ his pen, for a few weeks, on political 
subjects ; writing first " A Vindication of Mr. Wesley's 
Calm Address to our American Colonies, in three let- 
ters to Mr. Caleb Evans," and then a second tract on 
the same subject, termed 44 American Patriotism farther 
confronted with Reason, Scripture, and the Constitu- 
tion ; being observations on the dangerous Politics 
taught by the Rev. Mr. Evans and the Rev. Dr. Price." 

8. Mr. Fletcher's motives for engaging in this dispute 
were perfectly pure. He considered 44 the American 
Controversy," as he states in his preface to the former 
of these pieces, 44 to be closely connected with Chris- 
tianity in general, and with Protestantism in particular ; 
and that of consequence, it was of a religious, as well 
as of a civil nature." In other words, he considered 
Christianity as enjoining 44 the practice of strict moral- 
ity, and that it is an important branch of such morality 
to honour and obey the king, and all that are put in 
authority under him ; to order ourselves lowly and 



166 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



reverently to all our betters, to hurt no one ty word or 
deed, to be true and just in all our dealings, giving every 
one his due, tribute to whom tribute, and custom to 
whom custom. He thought, therefore, if divinity could 
cast any light upon the question which divided Great 
Britain and her colonies, that it was not impertinent in 
divines to hold out the light of their science, and peace- 
ably to use what the apostle calls the 4 sword of the 
Spirit :' that the material sword, unjustly drawn by 
those who were in the wrong, might be sheathed ; aud 
that a speedy end might be put to the effusion of Chris- 
tian blood." He also judged that "many of the colo- 
nists were as pious as they were brave, and hoped that 
while their undaunted fortitude made them scorn to bow 
under a hostile arm, which shot the deadly lightning 
of war, their humble piety might dispose them, or at 
least some of them, to regard a friendly hand which 
held out au olive branch, a Bible, and the articles of 
religion, drawn by their favourite reformer, Calvin." 
His publications on this subject, as well as Mr. Wesley's 
" Calm Address," certainly were of great use, not indeed 
to prevent the continuation and farther progress of the 
war, and stop the effusion of blood abroad ; but to allay 
the spirit of disloyalty and insurrection which were 
beginning to show themselves at home : or, in his lan- 
guage, to remove the mistakes, which, after having 
armed the provincials against Great Britain, had begun 
to work in the breasts of many good men in this coun- 
try, and which, if not removed, might have produced 
effects such as the survivors of them might rong have 
had reason to deplore. 

9. Both these tracts were published in the yeai 1776, 
in the beginning of which, or in the latter end of L775, 
(for the letter is without date,) he writes in his usual 
strain of self-abasement. " If you have seen my last 
Check, (the polemical essay above mentioned,) I shall 
be glad to have a few of your theological criticisms upon 
it. I have unaccountably launched into Christian poli- 
tics ; a branch of divinity too much neglected by some, 
and too much attended to by others. If you have seen 
my vindication of Mr. Wesley's Calm Address, and can 
make sense of that badly printed piece, I shall be thank- 
ful for your very dispraise." To another friend he 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



16? 



writes, about the same time, " My little political piece 
is published in London. You thank me for it before- 
hand, — I believe they are the only thanks I shall have. 
It is well you sent them before you read the book ; and 
yet, whatever contempt it brings upon me, I still think 
I have written the truth. If you did read my publica- 
tions, I would beg you to cast a look upon that, and 
reprove what appears to you amiss ; for if I have been 
wrong in writing, I hope I shall not be so excessively 
wrong as not to be thankful for any reproof candidly 
levelled at what I have written. I prepare myself to be 
like my Lord, in my little measure, — I mean to be de- 
spised and rejected of men — a man of sorrows and ac- 
quainted with griefs — most reviled for what I mean best. 
The Lord strengthen you in body and soul, to do and 
suffer his will. Adieu. J. F." 

10. That Mr. Fletcher meant well, and that he was 
perfectly disinterested in writing these political pieces, 
no one will doubt that had any acquaintance with him. 
Certainly he had no view to any gain or emolument what- 
ever ; nor would he, according to Mr. Vaughan, accept 
any compensation when offered him. "After Mr. Fletcher 
had published two or three small political pieces, in re- 
ference to our contest with the Americans, I carried one 
of them (says he in a letter to Mr. Wesley) to the earl 
of D. His lordship carried it to the lord chancellor, 
and the lord chancellor handed it to the king. One was 
immediately commissioned to ask Mr. Fletcher whether 
any preferment in the Church would be acceptable ? Or 
whether he (the chancellor) could do him any service ? 
He answered, " I want nothing but more grace." 

As a farther proof of Mr. Fletcher's disinterestedness, 
and to show in how great a degree he was disengaged 
from 

" Wealth., honour, pleasure, or what else 
This short-enduring world could give." 

Mr. V. adds, "In 1776, he deposited with me a bill of 
one hundred and five pounds, being (as I understood) 
the yearly produce of his estate in Switzerland. This 
was his fund for charitable uses : but it lasted only a few 
months, before he drew upon me for the balance, which 
was twenty-four pounds, to complete the preaching 
house in Madeley Wood." 



168 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



11. The reader must observe here that Mr. Fletcher's 
health had been declining much for some time, as ap- 
pears by sundry passages in his letters to his friends. 
Two years before this, viz., in March 1774, he says to 
Mr. Ireland : — " O how life goes ! I walked, now I 
gallop into eternity. The bowl of life goes rapidly 
down the steep hill of time. Let us be wise ; embrace 
we Jesus and the resurrection. Let us trim our lamps, 
and continue to give ourselves to him that bought us, 
till we can do it without reserve. In the middle of the 
following year, a little after Mr. Wesley had been dan- 
gerously ill in Ireland, he observes to me in a letter, 
" God has lately shaken Mr. Wesley over the grave ; 
but notwithstanding, I believe (from the strength of his 
constitution and the weakness of mine, which is much 
broken since I saw you) he will survive me. So that I 
do not scheme about helping to make up the gap when 
that great tree shall fall. Sufficient for that day will 
that trouble be ; nor will the Divine power be then in- 
sufficient to help the people in time of need." These 
words were spoken with a reference to a letter of mine 
to him, in which I had intimated that I thought his help 
would be wanted, in case of Mr. Wesley's death, in the 
government of the societies, and in conducting the work 
of God. And, as the reader will easily observe, if they 
were not uttered in the spirit of prophecy, at least the 
event was as he conjectured. 

In the latter end of the same year, he says to Mr. 
Charles Wesley: — "Old age comes faster upon me than 
upon you. I am already so grey-headed, that I wrote 
to my brother to know if I am not fifty-six instead of 
forty-six. The wheel of time moves so rapidly that 1 
seem to be in a new element ; and yet, praised be God, 
my strength is preserved far better than I could expect. 
I came home last night at eleven o'clock, tolerably well, 
after reading prayers and preaching twice, and giving 
the sacrament, in my own church, and preaching again, 
and meeting a few people in society, at the next market 
town. The Lord is wonderfully gracious to me ; and 
what is more to me than many favours, he helps me to 
see his mercies in a clearer light. In years past, I did 
not dare to be thankful for mercies which now make me 
shout for joy. I had been taught to call them common 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



169 



mercies; and I made as little of them as apostates do 
of the blood of Christ when they call it a common thing. 
But now the veil begins to rend, and I invite you and 
all the world to praise God for his patience, truth, and 
loving kindness, which have followed me all my days, 
and prevented me, not only in the night watches, but in 
the past ages of eternity. O how I hate the delusion 
which has robbed me of so many comforts ! Farewell. 

"Iam, &c, J. F." 

12. He now became sensible he had gone to an ex- 
treme in such close and continued thinking and writing, 
and that for the preservation of any degree of health, it 
would be necessary he should use some relaxation, and 
take exercise in the open air. He therefore observes to 
Mr. Ireland, in February next: — "A young clergyman 
offers to assist me ; if he do, I may make an excursion 
somewhere this spring : where it will be I do not know 
It may be into eternity ; for I dare not depend on to 
morrow : but should it be your way, I shall inform you 
of a variety of family trials which the Lord has sent 
me, — all for good, to break my will in every possible 
respect." 

He speaks to the same purpose, but more at large, to 
me in a letter written about the same time ; which sufh 
ciently manifests the blessed state of his mind during 
these painful exercises : — 

"My Very Dear Brother,— I have long wished to 
hear from you. If I remember right, when you wrote 
me a few r lines from Leeds, you intimated that you would 
let me hear from you more fully. Either my hopes have 
dreamed it, or your many avocations have (as yet) pre- 
vented your indulging me with a line. Be that as it will, 
I send this to inquire after your welfare in every sense, 
and to let you know that though I am pretty well in 
body, I break fast, — and that I want to break faster in 
spirit than I do ; though, blessed be God, I have been 
put into such pinching, grinding circumstances for near 
a year, by a series of providential and domestic trials as 
have given me some deadly blows ; may the wounds be 
never healed ! May all the life of self, which is the vital 
blood of the old Adam, flow out at the cuts ! I am not 
without hopes of setting my eyes on you once more. 
Mr. Wesley kindly invited me some weeks ago to travel 
22 



170 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



with him. and visit some of the societies. The contra 
versy is partly over, and I feel an inclination to break 
one of my chains, (parochial retirement.) which maybe 
a nest for self. A young minister, in deacon's orders, 
has offered to be my curate ; and, if he can live in this 
wilderness, I shall have some liberty to leave it. I com- 
mit the matter entirely to the Lord. To lie at the beck 
of Providence, to do or not to do, to have or not to have, 
is, I think, in such cases, a becoming frame of mind." 

In the same letter he observes : — The few professors 
I see in these parts are so far from what I could wish 
them and myself to be, that I cannot but cry out, Lord, 
how long wilt thou give thine heritage to desolation or 
barrenness ? How long shall the heathen say, Where is 
now their indwelling God ? I hope it is better with you 
in the north. I have got acquainted, by letter, with a 
sensible man, who calls himself an expectant of the king- 
dom of God, with whom (so far as I know) I perfectly 
agree. He is a Nathanael and a Simeon indeed. You 
would love him if you knew him. I look upon your 
discoveries in the field and mines of truth as mine. I 
hope you will not deprive me of what I have a right to 
share in, according to the old rule, they had all things 
common. What are your heart, your pen, your tongue 
doing ? Are they receiving, sealing, spreading the truth 
everywhere within your sphere ? Are you dead to praise 
or dispraise ? Could you quietly pass for a mere fool, 
and have gross nonsense fathered upon you without any 
uneasy reflection of self? The Lord bless you ; the 
Lord make you a child and a father. Beware of your 
grand enemy, earthly wisdom and unbelieving reason- 
ings. You will never overcome, but by childlike, loving 
simplicity. Adieu. J. F." 

13. Of the invitation which he had received to travel 
with Mr. Wesley, referred to in the above letter, Mr. 
Wesley speaks as follows, in his account of Mr. Fletch- 
er's life : — 

"In the same year, his health being more than ever 
impaired by a violent cough, accompanied with spitting 
of blood, (of which I had had large experience myself;) 
having frequently seen the surprising effects of constant 
exercise, together with change of air, I told him nothing 
was so likely to restore his health as a long journey. I 



LIFE OF REV, J. FLETCHER. 



171 



therefore proposed his taking a journey of some months 
with me. through various parts of England and Scotland ; 
telling hirn, 6 When you are tired, or like it best, you 
may come into my carriage ; but remember, that riding 
on horseback is the best of all exercises for you. so far 
as your strength will permit.' He looked upon this as 
a call from Providence, and very willingly accepted of 
the proposal. We set out (as I am accustomed to do) 
early in spring, and travelled by moderate journeys, 
suited to his strength, which gradually increased, eleven 
or twelve hundred miles. " 

14. We are not to infer from this account, however, 
that he travelled all the spring, summer, and autumn, 
with Mr. Wesley. He wrote to me from Madeley in 
May and in September, and to other friends in March 
md August, and from Bristol to some friends in July. 
The case I believe was this: he joined Mr. Wesley at 
London, or more probably at Bristol, in the latter end of 
February or the beginning of March, and accompanied 
him on his journeys through Gloucestershire, and Wor- 
cestershire, and a p-cirt of Warwickshire. Staffordshire, 
and Shropshire. He did not, however, proceed farther 
north with him at that time, but stopped at Madelev in 
the latter end of March, for reasons which he mentions 
to me in the following letter written soon after : — 

" My Dear Brother, — I thank you for your letter. 
1 would have answered you before had I not been over- 
done with writing. I have just concluded an answer to 
Mr. Evans and Dr. Price : a work which I have under- 
taken with a desire to" serve the cause of religion, as 
well as that of loyalty. This work has prevented me 
from following Mr. Wesley, as well as the uncertainty 
in which the clergyman who is here with me (a student 
from Edmund Hall) left me with respect to his stay. 
And as he has just accepted of a place near Manches- 
ter, I shall be still without a curate. I see so little fruit 
in these parts that I am almost disheartened, both with 
respect to the power of the word and the experience of 
the professors I converse with. I am closely followed 
with the thought that the kingdom in the Holy Ghost is 
almost lost; and that faith in the dispensation of the 
Spirit is at a very low ebb. But it may be I think so on 
account of my little experience and the weakness of the 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



faith of those I converse with. It may be better in all 
other places. I shall be glad to travel a little to see the 
goodness of the land. God deliver us from all extremes, 
and make and keep us humble, loving, disinterested, and 
zealous ! I have almost run my race of scribbling. I 
preached before Mr. Greaves came as much as my 
strength could well admit, although to little purpose. 
But I must not complain. If one person receive a good 
desire in ten years, by my instrumentality, it is a greater 
honour than I deserve ; an honour for which I should 
think I could not be too thankful, if my mind were as low 
as it ought to be. Let us bless the Lord for all things. 
We have reasons innumerable to do it. Bless him on 
my account as well as your own, and the God of peace 
be with you ; nor forget to ask that he may be with your 
sincere friend, J. F." 

15. Thus, notwithstanding the discouragements he 
met with, and his increasing state of weakness, he still 
went on with his work of writing and preaching as he 
was able : buying up for these purposes every moment 
of time which he possibly could, and attending, above 
all, to the progress of grace in his own soul. " I 
thought," says he to Mr. Vaughan, " 1 should soon have 
none with controversy ; but now I give up the hope of 
having done with it before I die. There are three sorts 
of people I must continually attack, or defend myself 
against, Gailios, Pharisees, and Antinomians. I hope I 
shall die in this harness, fighting against some of them. 
I do not however forget that the Gallio, the Simon, and 
the Nicolas within, are far more dangerous to me than 
those without. In my own heart, that immense field, I 
must first fight the Lord's battles and my own. Help 
me here, join me in this field. All Christians are here 
militiamen, if they are not professed soldiers. O my 
friend I need wisdom — meekness of wisdom! A heart 
full of it is better than all your cider vault full of the 
most generous liquors ; and it is in Christ for us. O go 
and ask for you and me, and I shall ask for myself and 
you. What a mercy is it that our Lord bears stock ! 
May we not be ashamed nor afraid to come and beg 
every moment for wine and milk, grace and wisdom. 

"Beware, my friend, of the world : let not its cares 
nor the deceitfulness of its riches keep or draw you from 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



173 



Jesus. Before you handle the birdlime, be sure ) ou dip 
your heart and hand in the oil of £race. Time flies. 
Years of plenty and of scarcity, of peace and of war, 
disappear before the eternity to which we are all hast- 
ening. May we see now the winged despatch of time 
as we shall see it in a dying hour ; and by coming to, 
and abiding in Christ, our fortress and city of refuge, 
may we be enabled to bid defiance to our last enemy, 
Christ has fully overcome him, and by the victory of the 
Head the living members cannot but be fully victori- 
ous." 

16. In the meantime, however, this return to such 
close study and incessant labour, not only impeded his 
restoration to health, but even increased the disorder, 
insomuch that, May 1 1, he mentions his " having had for 
some days the symptoms of an inward consumptive de- 
cay — spitting blood, &c." On this occasion he writes 
thus to Mr. Charles Wesley : — 44 What are you doing in 
London t Are you ripening as fast for the grave as I am ? 
How should we lay out every moment for God ! Thank 
God I look at our last enemy with great calmness. I 
hope, however, that the Lord will spare me to publish 
nay end of the controversy, which is, A Double Disser- 
tation upon the Doctrines of Grace and Justice. This 
piece will, I flatter myself, reconcile all the candid Cal- 
rinists and candid Arminians, and be a mean of pointing 
mt the way in which peace and harmony might be re- 
Jtored to the Church. 

44 1 still look for an outpouring of the Spirit, inwardly 
ind outwardly. Should I die before that great day, I 
■hall have the consolation to see it from afar, like Abra- 
ham and the Baptist, and to point it out to those who 
j hall live when God does this. 

44 Thank God, I enjoy uninterrupted peace in the midst 
of my trials, which are sometimes not a few. Joy also 
I possess; but I look for a joy of a superior nature. 
The Lord bestow it when and how he pleaseth ! I thank 
God, I feel myself in a good degree dead to praise and 
dispraise : I hope at least that it is so ; because I do not 
feel that the one lifts me up. or that the other dejects 
me. I want to see a pentecostal Christian Church, and if 
it be not to be seen at this time upon earth. I am willing 
to go and see this glorious wonder in heaven. How is 



174 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



it with you ? Are you ready to seize the crown in the 
name of the Redeemer reigning in your heart? We 
run a race toward the grave. John is likely to outrun 
you, unless you have a swift foot. The Lord grant we 
may sink deeper into the Redeemer's grave, and there 
live and die, and gently glide into our own. 

44 Let us pray that God would renew our youth as that 
of the eagle, that we may bear fruit in our old age. The 
Lord strengthen you to the last ! I hope I shall see you 
again before my death ; if not, let us rejoice at the 
thought of meeting in heaven. Give my kind love to 
Mrs. Wesley, to my god-daughter, and to her brothers, 
who all, I hope, remember their Creator in the days of 
their youth. Adieu. I am, &c, J. F." 

17. Although the circumstance has not been noticed 
by any of those who have published memoirs of Mr, 
Fletcher, yet it appears, from the date of several of his 
letters, that he spent a part at least of the summer 
of this year at Bristol, for the sake of trying the Hot- 
well water. 

A letter to Mr. Charles Perronet in his own hand- 
writing, now before me, dated Bristol, July 12, 1776, 
makes this evident : — " Having an opportunity," says 
he, " of writing a line to you by a friend whom I meet 
daily at the Hotwells, and who is about setting out for 
Canterbury, I gladly embrace the opportunity of thank- 
ing you for your inquiries about my health. I am here 
drinking the waters: with what effect time will show. 
The Lord keeps me hanging by a thread : he weighs me 
in the balance of life and death. I trust him for the 
choice. He knows far better than I which is best, ana 
I leave all to his unerring wisdom." After noticing the 
various other means he used, beside drinking the wa- 
ters, for the recovery of his health, he adds: — "With 
respect to my mind I am calm, and wait in submission 
what the Lord will say concerning me. I wait to be 
baptized into all his fulness, and trust the word, the 
faithful word of his grace. Afflictions and shakes may 
be a ploughing necessary to make way for the heavenly 
seed, and to prepare me to bring forth some fruit in life 
or death. Whether it be in the former or in the latter, 
1 hope I shall live and die the object of your love, and 
the subject of your prayers, as you are of the cordial 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



175 



affection and good wishes of your devoted brother, and 
obliged companion in tribulation, J. F." 

In a letter to a friend in his own parish, also dated 
Bristol, and written the day preceding, he gives the fol- 
lowing account of the state of his body and soul : — 

" With respect to my better part, I feel a degree of 
righteousness, peace, and joy, and wait for the esta- 
blishment of his internal kingdom in the Holy Ghost : 
and the hopes of my being rooted and grounded in the 
love that casts out every degree of slavish fear, grow more 
lively every day. I thank God, I am not afraid of any 
evil tidings, and my heart stands calm, believing in the 
Lord, and desiring him to do with me whatsoever he 
pleaseth. With respect to my body, I know not what 
to say ; but the physician says 1 he hopes I shall do 
well;' and so I hope and believe too, whether I recover 
or not. Health and sickness, life and death, are best 
when the Lord sends them ; and all things work together 
for good to those that love God. 

" I am forbid preaching ; but, blessed be God, I am 
not forbid by my heavenly Physician to pray, believe, 
and love. This is a sweet work, which heals, delights, 
and strengthens. Let us do it till we recover our spirit- 
ual strength ; and then, whether we shall be seen on 
earth or not, will matter nothing. I hope you bear me 
on your heart, as I do you on mine." Intending this 
letter to be read to other pious persons in the neigh- 
bourhood, he adds, "My wish for you is, that you may 
be inward possessors of an inward kingdom of grace ; 
that you may so hunger and thirst after righteousness as 
to be filled ; and that you may so call on your heavenly 
Father in secret, that he may reward you openly with 
abundance of grace, which may evidence to all that he 
honours you because you honour him. 

" O be hearty in the cause of religion. I would have 
you either hot or cold; for it is a fearful thing to be in 
danger of falling into the hands of the living God, and 
sharing the fate of the lukewarm. Be humbly zealous 
for your own salvation and for God's glory ; nor forget 
to care for the salvation of each other. The case of 
wicked Cain is very common, and the practice of many 
says, with that wretch, Am I my brother's keeper 1 O 
pray God to keep you by his mighty power through 



176 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



faith to salvation. Keep yourselves in the love of God 
if you are there ; and keep one another by example, re- 
proof, exhortation, encouragement, social prayer, and 
a faithful use of all the means of grace. Use your- 
selves to bow at Christ's feet ; as your prophet, go to 
him continually for the holy anointing of his Spirit, who 
will be a teacher always near, always with you and in 
you. If you have that inward Instructer, you will suf- 
fer no material loss when your outward teachers are 
removed. Make the most of dear Mr. Greaves while 
you have him. While you have the light of God's word 
believe in the light, that you may be the children of the 
light, fitted for the kingdom of eternal light, where I 
charge you to meet, with joy, your affectionate brother 
and minister, J. F." 

18. There can be no doubt, therefore, but that he was 
at Bristol, and did try the Hotwell water that summer. 
It should seem, however, that he reaped little or no 
benefit from it, as we find him returned to Madeley 
about the middle of August, and signifying to his friend, 
Mr. Ireland, that " his breast was constantly very weak, 
but," adds he, "if it please God it will in time recover 
strength. Mr. Greaves will take all the duty upon him 
self, and I shall continue to take the rest, the exercise, 
and the food which were recommended to me. The 
Lord grant me grace to repose myself on Christ, to ex- 
ercise myself in charity, and to feed upon the bread of 
life, which God has given us in Jesus Christ. We all 
need this spiritual regimen ; may we be enabled to ob- 
serve it as strictly as we do the bodily regimen of our 
earthly physicians !" 

19. His disorder increasing rather than abating, the 
kind friend to whom the preceding lines were addressed, 
by the advice of a physician, wisely recommended his 
going, as soon as convenient, to the south of France and 
to Switzerland, as the most likely mean to restore him. 
Mr. Fletcher, however, would not then consent to go. 
"I have not at present the least idea," says he, August 
24, 66 that I am called to quit my post here. I see no 
probability of being useful in Switzerland. My call is 
here, I am sure of it. If, then, I undertook the journey, 
it would be merely to accompany you. I dare not gra- 
tify friendship by taking such a step ; and so much less, 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



177 



as I have no faith in the prescriptions of your physician : 
and I think that if health be better for us than sickness, 
we may enjoy it as well here as in France or Italy. If 
sickness be best for us why should we shun it? Every 
thing is good when it comes from God. Nothing but a 
baptism of fire, and the most evident openings of Pro- 
vidence, can engage me in such a journey. If you be- 
lieve that Providence calls you to make it, go : the bare 
idea that the journey will do you good, may, by God's 
blessing, be of service to you. If I reject your obliging 
offer to procure me a substitute, accuse not my friend- 
ship to you, but attribute it to my fear of taking a false 
step, of quitting my post without command, and of 
engaging in a warfare to which the Lord does not call 
me. My refusal wounds my friendship for you ; but I 
hope it will not prevent your being persuaded that I am, 
with lively gratitude, altogether yours in Jesus Christ. 
Adieu. J. F." 

It appears that in the beginning of September he 
thought his health better than it had been in August. He 
had not preached, however ; but had declined it, he says, 
rather from " a sense of duty to his friends, and the high 
thoughts he had of Mr. Greaves' labours, than to spare 
himself: for if I am not mistaken," adds he, " I am as 
able to do my work now, as I was a year ago." In this 
particular he certainly was mistaken, and probably was 
led into the mistake by a person (a physician, I suppose) 
near Litchfield, whom he terms "a pious gentleman, 
and esteemed eminent for his skill in disorders of the 
breast." This gentleman had assured him " that he was 
in no immediate danger of a consumption of the lungs, 
but that his disorder was upon the nerves, in consequence 
of too much close thinking." 

20. The advice of this gentleman seems to have been 
the more acceptable to Mr. Fletcher, because it did not 
prohibit him altogether from his favourite employments 
of writing and preaching. He also prescribed medicines 
which Mr. Fletcher judged " had been of service in 
taking off his feverish heats, and stopping his spitting 
of blood." Having thus obtained the permission of his 
physician to labour a little, in the way he thought most 
important to the glory of God, and the good of mankind, 
he was ready enough to embrace it. 44 If God add one 

23 



178 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



inch to my span," says he to Mr. Charles Wesley, Sep! 
15, "I see my calling. I desire to know nothing but 
Christ, and him crucified, revealed in the Spirit. I long 
to feel the utmost power of the Spirit's dispensation ; 
and I will endeavour to bear my testimony to the glory 
of that dispensation both with my pen and tongue. 
Some of our injudicious or inattentive friends will proba- 
bly charge me with novelty for it ; but be that as it will, 
let us meekly stand for the truth as it is in Jesus, and trust 
the Lord for every thing. I thank God, I feel myself 
so dead to popular applause, that I trust I should not be 
afraid to maintain a truth against all the world ; and yet, 
I dread to dissent from any child of God, and am ready 
to condescend to every one. O what depths of humble 
love, and what heights of Gospel truth, do I sometimes 
see ! I want to sink into the former, and rise into the 
latter. Help me by your example, letters, and prayers ; 
and let us, after our forty years' abode in the wilderness 
with Moses and Joshua, break forth after our Joshua 
into the Canaan of pure love. I am, <fcc, J. F." 

"At our age," says he to another friend, "recovery 
can be but a short reprieve ; let us then give up our- 
selves daily to the Lord, as people who have no confi- 
dence in the flesh, and do not trust to to-morrow. I 
find my weakness, unprofitableness, and wretchedness, 
daily more and more ; and the more I find them, the 
more help I have to sink into self-abhorrence. Nor do 
I despair to sink one day so in it as to die to self, and 
revive in my God. Farewell. J. F." 

21. He speaks in a similar manner to me in a letter 
dated a few days after, when he was still at Madeley : — 

"My Very Dear Brother, — Your kind letter has 
followed me from Bristol here, where I have been for 
some weeks. My health is better than it was in August, 
blessed be God! but it is far from being- established. 
Close thinking and writing had brought upon me a slow 
fever, with a cough, and spitting of blood, which a phy- 
sician took for symptoms of a consumption of the lungs ; 
whereas they were only symptoms of a consumption of 
the nerves and solids. He put me accordingly upon the 
lowest diet, and had me blooded four times, which made 
much against me. I am, however, much recovered since 
I have begun to eat meat again. My cough and spitting 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



179 



of blood have left me ; but want of sleep, and a slow 
fever, keep me still very low. If the Lord please, he 
can in a moment restore my strength: but he needs not 
a worm, a fly. I thank him for having kept me perfectly 
resigned to his will, and calm in the awful scene which 
I have passed through. I enjoy the kingdom in weak- 
ness, and still look for its coming with power. 

" I design to conclude my last controversial piece as J 
shall be able, and hope it will give my friends some 
satisfaction ; because it will show the cause of all om 
doctrinal errors, and place the doctrine of election and 
reprobation upon its proper basis. I finish also my 
Essay on the Dispensation of the Spirit, which is the 
thing I want most to see your thoughts upon. Pray for 
light and power, truth and love, and impart to me a 
share of your experiences to quicken my dulness of 
apprehension and feeling. If God spare me a little, it 
will be to bear my testimony to the doctrine of perfect, 
spiritual Christianity. May we be personal witnesses 
of this glorious dispensation, and be so inflamed with 
love as to kindle all around us ; so filled with power 
that rivers may flow from us, and gladden the spots of 
the vineyard where our lot is cast. Give my kind love 
and thanks to all inquiring friends. If I live over the 
winter, I shall, should Providence open the way, visit 
you all,* and assure you that I am, in Christ, your affec- 
tionate brother and servant, J. F." 

22. The former of the tracts mentioned in the above 
letter, which he terms " his last controversial piece," 
was that entitled, " The Reconciliation, or an easy 
method to unite the professing people of God, by placing 
the doctrines of Grace and Justice in such a light as to 
make the candid Arminians Bible Calvinists, and the 
candid Calvinists Bible Arminians." He had also 
termed it, in an advertisement previously published, " A 
Plan of Reconciliation between the Defenders of the 
Doctrines of partial Grace, commonly called Calvinists, 
and the Defenders of the Doctrines of impartial Justice, 
commonly called Arminians." This tract, although 
comprehending one hundred and forty pages, and al- 
though he ^vas in a state of increasing weakness, and 

* I was then at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 



180 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



obliged, as we shall soon see. to travel to preserve his 
life, he was enabled to complete by the beginning of the 
next spring, when he dedicated it to his friend, Mr. Ire- 
land, in the following words : — 

" Dear Sir, — To whom could a plan of reconcilia- 
tion between the Calvinists and Arminians be more pro- 
perly dedicated than to a son of peace, whose heart, 
hand, and house are open to Calvinists, Arminians. and 
Neuters ? You kindly received the divines who contend 
for the doctrines of grace ; and I want words to des- 
cribe the Christian courtesy which you show to me. and 
other ministers, who make a stand for the doctrines of 
justice. To you I am indebted for the honour of 
a friendly interview with the author of the Circular 
Letter, (Mr. Shirley,) which I thought myself obliged 
to oppose. And as you succeeded in that labour of 
love, it is natural for me to hope that by your influence, 
and by the patronage of such candid, generous peace 
makers, as the gentleman* to whom I have often com- 
pared you, these reconcilino- sheets will be perused by 
some with more attention than if they had no name pre- 
fixed to them but that of your most obliged, affectionate 
friend and servant, J. F." 

23. In this dedication, and in the title of the work to 
which it is prefixed, Mr. Fletcher refers to a small tract, 
before mentioned, which had preceded it in the publi- 
cation, entitled, " The Doctrines of Grace and Justice 
equally essential to the pure Gospel : with some Re- 
marks on the mischievous Divisions caused among Chris- 
tians by parting those Doctrines. " ? This piece, being 
intended as an introduction to the Reconciliation, since 
the first edition, has been printed and sold in one pam- 
phlet with it. and both taken together must certainly be 
considered, by every unprejudiced and enlightened per- 
son, as peculiarly calculated to answer the end pro- 
posed. I doubt not. indeed, but they did answer that 
end, with regard to many, on both sides of the ques- 
tion, Some, however, and indeed not a few, of Mr. 

* John Thornton. Esq., " a great friend," says he, " to a catholic 
Gospel. If clergymen are backward to promote peace, the God 
of peace may provoke them to jealousy, by raising from among 
the laity such instruments of reconciliation as will be a terror to 
bigotry, and an example of universal love." 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



181 



Fletcher's opponents, were not thus to be won. This 
is evident from the following clauses of a letter to the 
same disinterested and truly catholic friend, written at 
this time : — - 

" I thank you for your kind letter, and am glad you 
will continue to oppose bigotry, though I would not have 
you bring a whole house about your ears, for the sake of 
so insignificant a creature as I am. Many, who espouse 
the sentiments of my opponents, condemn me without 
having heard me out ; and, upon the dreadful charges 
which they hear brought against me, they are not much 
to blame ; for what good man will think well of a ' blas- 
phemer, and an enemy to the Gospel V I hope, for my 
part, to do what shall be in my power to remove preju- 
dices, and trust to gain some resignation and patience by 
what I shall not be able to remove. God is my witness 
that I honour and love them, though I will never part 
with my liberty of exposing error wherever I shall 
detect it. Why might I not endeavour to take off a 
spot from a friend's sleeve, without running the risk of 
losing his friendship, and incurring his ill will?" 

24. In the meantime, while some of his bigoted oppo- 
nents, and their prejudiced, narrow-minded friends, who 
neither knew him nor his principles, were viewing him 
as a " blasphemer, and an enemy to the Gospel;" the 
pious part of his parishioners, who had long observed 
his spirit and conduct, and knew him well, were ready 
almost to rank him with prophets and apostles, and 
certainly judged him one of the holiest and best of men. 
" A fortnight ago," says he to his friend, in the letter 
last quoted, " I paid a visit to West Bromwich : I ran 
away from the kindness of my parishioners, who op- 
pressed me with tokens of their love. To me there is 
nothing so extremely trying as excessive kindness. I 
am of the king's mind, when the people showed their 
love to him on his journey to Portsmouth : 6 1 can bear,' 
he said, 4 the hissings of a London mob, but these shouts 
are too much for me.' You, my dear friend, Mrs. Ire- 
land, Mrs. Norman, and all your family, have put me to 
that severe trial to which all trials caused by the hard 
words that have been spoken of me are nothing. I 
return you all my warmest thanks, and pray that, excess 
excepted, you may all, in the day of your weakness* 



\ 



182 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



meet with as kind nurses and benefactors as you have 
proved to me." 

25. The state of his health, however, although he had 
so lately judged himself much better, soon began to 
decline, and his disorder to increase to such an alarm- 
ing degree, that the possibility of his recovery, without 
a miracle, was universally doubted. But far was he, 
while in these circumstances, from being daunted or 
cast down at the apparent approach of the king of ter- 
rors. Rather, " he looked forward, {Gilpircs Notes,) 
with increasing desire, to the happy moment when he 
should exchange the weapons of war for the crown of 
glory. Not that he was averse to the duties of his 
vocation, or wearied with the length of his services ; 
but being exceedingly athirst for God, as the hart 
panteth after the water brooks, so panteth his soul after 
the more immediate presence of God. Though he was 
favoured with the enjoyment of many inestimable bless- 
ings by the way, yet he looked with unutterable long- 
ings to the end of his course ; knowing that to be at 
home in the body is to be absent from the Lord. Though 
he experienced inexpressible delight in the society of 
such as worshipped in the outer courts of the Lord's 
house ; still he saw it infinitely more desirable to asso- 
ciate with the spirits of just men made perfect in the 
inner places of his invisible temple. And though he 
was at times permitted a momentary glimpse of hea- 
venly mysteries, yet he earnestly desired that, mortality 
being swallowed up of life, he might behold with open 
face the glory of the Lord." 

26. This desire, which accompanied him through 
every state, was expressed with a more than ordinary 
degree of fervour in seasons of weakness and disease. 
In these solemn intervals, when he appeared to be 
speedily advancing toward the confines of eternity, he 
rejoiced as a weary traveller within sight of his home. 
His immortal prospects became more enlarged and trans- 
porting, his conversation was correspondent to the gran- 
deur of his views, and his whole appearance was that 
of a man already clothed in the wedding garment, and 
hastening to sit down at the marriage supper of the 
Lamb. There was something in his deportment, upon 
these awful occasions, which reminded me of the trans- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



183 



figuration of his Master upon Mount Tabor : — While 
Moses and Elias were conversing with the blessed Jesus 
on his approaching decease, the fashion of his coun- 
tenance was altered, and his raiment became white and 
glistering : so while the harbingers of death were ap- 
parently completing their work on the emaciated frame 
of this holy man, his silent meditations have been fre- 
quently accompanied with so much visible delight, such 
an ecstatic glow has diffused itself over his whole coun- 
tenance, and his eye has been directed upward with a 
look of such inexpressible sweetness, that one would 
almost have supposed him, at such seasons, conversing 
with angelical spirits on his approaching dissolution, 
nnd the glory that should follow. 

27. But, notwithstanding the intimate views he en- 
joyed of a happy immortality, and the intense desire he 
expressed to be with Christ ; when he considered the 
importance of his charge, and the probability of his 
being rendered farther serviceable to the Church, charity 
toward his companions in tribulation gave birth to a 
new desire, and kept him in a state of sweet suspense 
between the labours of grace and the rewards of glory. 
It was in such a state that he took an affecting leave of 
his people at Madeley, viz., in the autumn of this year, 
being about to spend a few weeks in travelling with Mr 
Wesley. 44 He delivered," says Mr. Gilpin, 44 a discourse 
upon that occasion from those pertinent words of St. 
Paul : What I shall choose, I wot not. For I am in a 
strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be 
with Christ, which is far better : nevertheless, to abide in 
the flesh is more needful for you. In the course of this 
sermon he adverted, in the most pathetic terms, to the 
painful situation in which he then presented himself to 
his hearers ; so debilitated by disease that he was un- 
able any longer to discharge among them the public 
duties of his ministerial station. From his present 
weakness he looked back to his past labours, making 
many affecting reflections upon his own unworthiness, 
the indubitable testimonies he had received of his peo- 
ple's unfeigned affection, and the unusual success of his 
ministry among them. Here he enlarged upon the two 
leading desires of his soul. On the one hand, he made 
a solemn declaration of the earnest longing with which 



184 



LIFE OF REV. J, FLETCHER. 



he desired to be absent from the body, that he might be 
present with the Lord: and on the other, lie expressed 
a more than parental attachment, which excited in him 
a wish that he might still be permitted to labour for 
their fartherance and establishment in the faith of the 
Gospel. But what to choose he knew not : nor was his 
present suspense attended with any degree of anxiety, 
since he foresaw unquestionable blessings awaiting him 
on either hand. He saw the balance poised by unerr- 
ing wisdom, and was cheerfully content to wait the issue 
with one uninterrupted request — that, whether he lived, 
he might live unto the Lord, or whether he died, he 
might "die unto the Lord ; that, whether living or dying, 
he might be the the Lord's. 

" Such was the sweet suspense which this man of God 
experienced between a state of labour and a state of rest, 
which continued for more than two years, and which 
was at last happily determined in favour of his people, 
who were permitted the enjoyment of his ministry for 
a long season after this period, rejoicing in the goodness 
of the Lord, and abundantly profiting by the labours of 
his invigorated servant." 

28. Where Mr. Fletcher joined Mr. Wesley, I am not 
certain. But. November 21, 1TT6, he wrote to me from 
LoestofF as follows:— 

" My Dear Friend. — Mr. Wesley having invited me 
to travel with him, to see if change of air and motion 
will be a mean of restoring me to a share of my former 
health, I have accompanied him through Oxfordshire, 
Northamptonshire, and Norfolk : and I hope I am rather 
better than worse. I find it good to be with this extra- 
ordinary servant of God. I think his diligence and wis- 
dom are matchless. It is a good school for me, only I 
am too old a scholar to make a proficiency. However, 
let us live to God to day, and trust him for to-morrow : 
so that whether we are laid up in a sick bed, or a damp 
grave, or whether we are yet able to act we may be 
able to say. 

1 God is the sea of love, 

Where all my pleasures roll : 
The circle where my passions move, 
And centre of my soul.' 

1 find the nearer I am to you, the more glad should I be 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



185 



to be strengthened by the mutual faith of you and me. 
The bearer hopes to be soon at Newcastle, and I send 
this scrawl by him to assure you of my repentance to- 
ward God, my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, my lively 
expectation of the kingdom in the Holy Ghost, and my 
brotherly love toward you. The Lord fill you with 
every grace and gift which can complete the Christian 
and the evangelist, and what I ask for you, I trust you 
will not forget to ask for your affectionate friend and 
brother, J. F." 

29. Soon after this, according to Mr. Wesley's ac- 
count, they returned to London, when Mr. Fletcher 
appeared to be considerably better. "And I verily 
believe," says Mr. Wesley, "if he had travelled with 
me, partly in the chaise, and partly on horseback, only 
a few months longer, he would have quite recovered his 
health. But this those about him would not permit: so 
being detained in (or near) London by his kind, but 
injudicious friends, while I pursued my journeys, his 
spitting of blood with all the other symptoms returned, 
and rapidly increased, till the physicians pronounced 
him to be far advanced in a true pulmonary consump- 
tion." 

It being judged quite improper for him to remain in 
London, on Dec. 16, 1776, he retired to the house of his 
friends, Cnarles and Mary Greenwood, (both now with 
God,)- to Stoke Newington. Here he had the advice of 
the most eminent physicians that London could afford 
He was also in a good air, and had every convenience 
and every help which art could bestow. One of the 
family, of whom Mr. Wesley inquired concerning this 
part of his life, gave him the following information: — 

30. Agreeably to your desire, I endeavour to recol- 
lect some particulars of Mr. Fletcher during his abode 
at Newington. 

" When he first came, he was, by Dr. FothergilPs ad- 
vice, under the strictest observance of two things, rest 
and silence. These, together with a milk diet, were 
supposed to be the only probable means of his recovery. 
In consequence of these directions he spoke exceeding 
little. If he ever spoke more than usual it did not fail 
to increase his spitting of blood ; of which, indeed, he 
was seldom quite clear, although it was not violent 

24 



1S6 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 



Therefore a great part of his time was spent in being 
read to. But it vras not possible to restrain him alto- 
gether from speaking. The fire which continually burned 
in his heart many waters could not quench. 4t often 
burst out unawares. And then how did we wonder 
(like those who formerly heard his Lord) at the gracious 
words which proceeded out of his mouth ! He could not 
have sustained life without sometimes giving vent to his 
heart. No penance could have appeared so severe a 
cross to him as to be debarred from speaking of, or to 
God. His natural vivacity, with his intense love of 
Jesus, continually impelled him to speak. But on being 
reminded of his rule, with a cheerful smile, he was all 
submission : consenting by signs only to stir up those 
about him to pray and praise ! 

31. "Whoever has read Mr. Fletcher's Last Check to 
Antinomianism, and has had the privilege of observing 
his spirit and conduct, will not scruple to say that he 
was a living comment on his own account of Christian 
perfection. It is an alarming word which our Lord 
speaks to the angel of the Church at Sardis, I have not 
found thy works perfect before God. But as far as 
man is able to judge, from the whole tenor of his beha- 
viour, he did possess perfect humility, perfect resigna- 
tion, and perfect love. Suitable to this was the testi- 
mony concerning him which was given in Lady Hun- 
tingdon's chapel at Bristol, even by Mr. V., a gentleman 
strongly attached to those opinions which Mr. Fletcher 
thought it his duty to oppose. 4 1 have enjoyed the 
privilege of being several weeks under the same roof 
with dear Mr. Fletcher. And during that time I have 
been greatlv edified by his perfect resignation to the 
will of God, and by being a witness to his exemplary 
conduct and uncommon grace.' 

32. "When he was able to converse, his favourite 
subject was. the promise of the Father, the gift of the 
Holy Ghost, including that rich peculiar blessing of 
union with the Father and the Son, mentioned in that 
prayer of our Lord which is recorded in the seventeenth 
chapter of St. John. Many were the sparks of living 
fire which occasionally darted forth on this beloved 
theme. ' We must not be content,' said he, ' to be only 
cleansed from sin ; we must be filled with the Spirit 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



187 



One asking him what was to be experienced in the full 
accomplishment of the promise, 1 O,' said he, 4 what 
shall I say ! All the sweetness of the drawings of the 
Father ; all the love of the Son ; all the rich effusions 
of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost ; more than ever 
can be expressed are comprehended here ! To attain it 
the Spirit maketh intercession in the soul, like a God 
wrestling with a God !' 

33. 44 It was in these favoured moments of converse 
that we found, in a particular manner, the reward which 
is annexed to the receiving a prophet in the name of a 
prophet. And in some of those he occasionally men- 
tioned several circumstances, which (as none knew 
them but himself) would otherwise have been buried in 
oblivion. 

44 One of those remarkable passages was, 4 In the be- 
ginning,' said he, 4 of my spiritual course, I heard the 
voice of God, in an inexpressibly awful sound, go through 
my soul in those words. If any man will be my disciple, 
let him deny himself. He mentioned another peculiar 
manifestation of a later date, in which, said he, 4 1 was 
favoured, like Moses, with a supernatural discovery of 
the glory of God in an ineffable converse with him ; so 
that whether I was then in the body or out of the body I 
cannot tell.' 

34. 44 On another occasion, he said, 4 About the time 
of my entering into the ministry, I one evening wander- 
ed into a wood, musing on the importance of the office 
I was going to undertake. I then began to pour out my 
soul in prayer ; when such a feeling sense of the justice 
of God fell upon me, and such a discovery of his dis- 
pleasure at sin, as absorbed all my powers, and filled my 
soul with an agony of prayer for poor lost sinners. I 
continued therein till the dawn of day ; and I considered 
this as designed of God to impress upon me more deeply 
the meaning of those solemn words, Therefore knowing 
the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men.'' " 

35. The blessed state of his soul continually mani- 
fested itself by its overflowing good will to all that came 
in his way. And yet his spirit was so deeply impressed 
with those words, Not as though I had already attained, 
that the vehemence of his desire for a fuller manifest- 
ation of God seemed sometimes to border upon unhap- 



188 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



piness. But his ardent soul only felt the full impres- 
sion of those words of the apostle, Forgetting the things 
that are behind, and reaching forth to those that are be- 
fore, I press toward the mark, for the prize of my high 
calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

36. 44 One end of his retiring to Newington was that 
he might hide himself from company. But this design 
was in no wise answered ; for company came from every 
side. He was continually visited by high and low, and 
by persons of various denominations : one of whom 
being asked, when he went away, what he thought of 
Mr. Fletcher, said, 4 1 went to see a man that had one 
foot in the grave ; but I found a man that had one foot 
in heaven.' Among them that now visited him were 
several of his beloved and honoured opponents ; to 
whom he confirmed his love (however roughly they had 
treated him) by the most respectful and affectionate be- 
haviour. But he did not give up any part of the truth 
for which he had publicly contended : although some 
(from whom one would have expected better things) did 
not scruple to affirm the contrary. Those of his par- 
ticular friends who visited him here will not easily for- 
get how he exhausted his whole soul in effusions of 
thankfulness ; Messrs. Cartwright and Cavendish in par- 
ticular, with his faithful and affectionate friend, Mr. Ire- 
land, will remember their interviews with him. And 
those of the family were almost oppressed by the out- 
pourings of his love and gratitude whenever they show- 
ed their love in the most inconsiderable instance. Yea, 
so thankful, in proportion, would he be to even the 
meanest servant. 

37. 44 It was not without some difficulty that Mr. Ire- 
land at length prevailed upon him to sit for his picture. 
While the limner was drawing the outlines of it, he was 
exhorting both him and all that w r ere in the room, not 
only to get the outlines drawn, but the colourings also, 
of the image of Jesus on their hearts. He had a very 
remarkable facility in making allusions of this kind : in 
raising spiritual observations from every accidental cir 
cumstance ; in turning men's employments, pleasures> 
and pains, into means of edification ; this he did, in or 
der to engage the attention of the thoughtless, the mort 
deeply to fix the attention of the thoughtful, and to pre 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHLK 



1S9 



vent the trilling away of time in unprofitable conversa- 
tion. And such little incidents as used to pass away 
unnoticed, by almost any other person, acquired from 
Mr. Fletcher's fine imagination a kind of grace and dig- 
nity. To give an instance. Being ordered to be let blood, 
while his blood was running into the cup, he took occa- 
sion to expatiate on the precious blood-shedding of the 
Lamb of God. And even when he did not speak at all, 
the seraphic spirit which beamed from his languid face, 
during those months of pain and weakness, was, 

£I A lecture silent, yet of sovereign use." 

[But it is necessary to be observed here, says Mr. 
Wesley, that this facility of raising useful observations 
from the most trifling incidents, was one of those pecu- 
liarities in him which cannot be proposed to our imita- 
tion. In him it partly resulted from nature, and was 
partly a supernatural gift. But what was becoming and 
graceful in Mr. Fletcher, would be disgustful almost in 
any other.] 

38. But Mr. Fletcher was not only eminently useful by 
his conversation to the members of the kind family at 
Newington, where he resided these few weeks, and to 
several individuals, whether ministers or others, who 
occasionally visited it, but the Christian letters which 
his love to his flock at Madeley, and to his friends in dif- 
ferent places, constrained him to write, were then, and 
have been since, a peculiar blessing to many. " Which 
his love constrained him to write," I say, because, not- 
withstanding the charge given him by his physician, and 
the advice and entreaties of those about him, he could 
not be restrained from this exercise of zeal and brotherly 
kindness. " They forbid my writing," says he to Mr. 
Ireland, February 24, " but I will write to the last. 
Blessed be God who giveth us the victory over death and 
its pain, by Jesus Christ" An extract from one of 
these letters, written about a fortnight after his going to 
Newington, and addressed to his parishioners at Made- 
ley, Mr. Wesley has given us in his short account of 
Mr. Fletcher's life. I shall here insert the same letter 
rather more at larg-e : — 

"My Dear Parishioners,— I hoped to have spent 
the Christmas holidays with you, and to have ministered 



190 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



to you in holy things ; but the weakness of my body 
confining me here, I humbly submit to the Divine dis- 
pensation, and ease the trouble of my absence by being 
present with you in spirit, and by reflecting on the plea- 
sure I have felt in years past while singing with you, 
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, &c, 
This truth is as important now as it was then, and as 
worthy to be thankfully received at* Newington as at 
Madeley. Let us then receive it with all readiness, and 
it will unite us : we shall meet in Christ, the centre of 
lasting union, the source of true life, the spring of pure 
righteousness and joy ; and our hearts shall be full of 
the song of angels, Glory be to God on high ! Peace on 
earth ! Good will toward each other, and all mankind ! 

" In order to this, may the eye of your understanding 
be more and more opened to see your need of a Re- 
deemer ; and to behold the suitableness, freeness, and 
fulness of the redemption which was wrought out by the 
Son of God, and which is applied by the Spirit, through 
faith. The wish which glows in my soul is so ardent 
and powerful that it brings me down on my knees while 
I write, and, in that supplicating posture, I entreat you 
all to consider and improve the day of your visitation, 
and to prepare, in good earnest, to meet, with joy, your 
God, and your unworthy pastor, in another world. 
Weak as I was when I left Madeley, I hear that several, 
who were then young, healthy, and strong, have got the 
start of me ; and that some have been hurried into eter- 
nity without being indulged in a moment's warning. 
May the awful accident strike a deeper consideration 
into all our souls. May the sound of their bodies, 
dashed to pieces at the bottom of a pit, rouse us to a 
speedy conversion, that we may never fall into the bot- 
tomless pit, and that iniquity and delays may not be our 
eternal ruin. Tottering as I stand on the brink of the 
grave, some of you who seem far from it may drop into 
it before me ; for what has happened may happen still. 

" Let us then all awake out of sleep ; and let us afc 
prepare for our approaching change, and give ourselves 
no rest till we have got Gospel ground to hope that our 
great change will be a happy one. In order to this, I 
beseech you, by all the ministerial and providential calls 
you have had for these seventeen years, harden not your 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



191 



hearts. Let the long suffering of God toward us, who 
survived the hundreds I have buried, lead us all to re- 
pentance. Dismiss your sins, and embrace Jesus Christ, 
who wept for you in the manger, bled for you in Gethse- 
mane, hung for you on the cross, and now pleads for 
you on his mediatorial throne. By all that is near and 
dear to you, as men and as Christians, meet me not, on 
the great day, in your sins and in your blood, enemies 
to Christ by unbelief, and to God by wicked works. 
Meet me in the garment of repentance, in the robe of 
Christ's merits, and in the white linen, (the purity of 
neart and life,) which is the holiness of the godly : — that 
holiness without which no man shall see God. Let the 
time past suffice, in which some of you have lived in 
sin. By repentance put off the old man and his works ; 
by faith put on the Lord Jesus and his righteousness. 
Let all wickedness be gone, — for ever gone, with the 
old year ; and with the new one begin a new life, a life 
of renewed devotion to God, and of increasing love to 
our neighbour. 

" The sum of all I have preached to you is contained 
in four propositions : First, Heartily repent of your sins, 
original and actual. Secondly, Believe the Gospel of 
Christ in sincerity and truth. Thirdly, In the power 
which true faith gives, (for all things commanded are 
possible to him that believeth,) run with humble confi- 
dence the way of God's commandments before God and 
men. Fourthly, By continuing to take up your cross 
and to receive the pure milk of God's word, grow in 
grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. So shall 
you grow in peace and joy all the days of your life, and 
when rolling years shall be lost in eternity, you will for 
ever grow in bliss and heavenly glory. O what bliss ! 
what glory ! The Lord shall be our sun and our crown ; 
and we shall be jewels in each other's crown ; I in yours, 
and you in mine. For ever we shall be with the Lord, 
and with one another. We shall all live in God's hea- 
venly Church, the heaven of heavens. All our days will 
be a Sabbath, and our Sabbath eternity. No bar of 
business or sickness, no distance of time nor place, no 
gulf of death or the grave shall part us more. We shall 
meet in the bosom of Abraham, who met Christ in the 
bosom of Divine love. O what a meeting ! And shall 



192 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



some of us meet there this very year which we are just 
entering upon ? What a year ! On that blessed year, 
if we are of the number of those who die in the Lord, 
our souls shall burst the womb of this corruptible flesh; 
we shall be born into the other world ; we shall behold 
the Sun of righteousness without a cloud, and for ever 
bask in the beams of his glory. Is not this prospect 
glorious enough to make us bid defiance to sin and the 
grave ; and to join the cry of the Spirit and the Bride, 
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, though it should be in 
the black chariot of death ? 

" Should God bid me to stay on earth a little longer, 
to serve you in the Gospel of his Son ; should he renew 
my strength (for no word is impossible with him) to do 
among you the work of a pastor, I hope I shall, by God's 
grace, prove a more humble, zealous, and diligent minis- 
ter than I have hitherto been. Some of you have sup- 
posed that I made more ado about eternity and your 
precious souls than they were worth ; but how great 
was your mistake ! Alas ! it is my grief and shame that 
1 have not been, both in public and private, a thousand 
times more earnest and importunate with you about your 
spiritual concerns. Pardon me, my dear friends, par- 
don me, my ignorances and negligences in this respect. 
And as I most humbly ask your forgiveness, so I most 
heartily forgive any of you, who may, at any time, have 
made no account of my little labours. I only entreat 
such now to evidence a better mind, by paying a double 
attention to the loud warnings of Providence, and to the 
pathetic discourses of the faithful minister who now 
supplies my place. And may God, for Christ's sake, 
forgive us all, as we forgive one another ! 

" The more nearly I consider death and the grave, 
judgment and eternity, the more, blessed be God, I feel 
that I have preached to you the truth, and that the truth 
is solid as the Rock of ages. Glory be to his Divine 
grace, I can say, in some degree, ' Here is firm footing.' 
Follow me, and the sorrows of death, instead of encom- 
passing you around, will keep at an awful distance, and, 
with David, we shall follow our great Shepherd, even 
through the dreary valley, without fearing or feeling 
any evil. 

" Although I hope to see much more of the goodness 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 



193 



of the Lord in the land of the living than I do see ; yet, 
blessed be the Divine mercy, I see enough to keep my 
mind at all times unruffled, and to make me willing 
calmly to resign my soul into the hands of my faithful 
Creator, my loving Redeemer, and my sanctifying Com- 
forter, this moment, or the next, if he call for it. I 
desire your public thanks for all the favours he showeth 
me continually, with respect to both my soul and body. 
Help me to be thankful ; for it is a pleasant thing to 
be thankful. May our thankfulness crown the new 
year, as God's patience and goodness have crowned all 
our life. Permit me to bespeak an interest in your 
prayers also. Ask that my faith may be willing to 
receive all that God's grace is willing to bestow. Ask 
that I may meekly suffer, and zealously do all the will 
of God, in my present circumstances ; and that, living 
or dying, I may say, with the witness of God's Spirit, 
For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 

" If God call me soon from earth, I beg he may, in his 
good providence, appoint a more faithful shepherd over 
you. You need not fear that he will not : you see that 
for these many months you have not only had no famine 
of the word, but the richest plenty ; and what God has 
done for months he can do for years ; yea, for all the 
years of your life. Only pray : Ask, and you shall re- 
ceive. Meet at the throne of grace, and you shall meet 
at the throne of glory your affectionate, obliged, and 
unworthy minister, J. F." 

39. In another letter, written a fortnight after to the 
same people, he manifests still farther his own deep 
humility, and his fervent love to them as the flock over 
which the Holy Ghost had made him overseer. I shall 
here insert a short extract from this also. Addressing 
them as his " dear companions in tribulation," he pro- 
ceeds : — " All the children of God I love : my delight is 
in them that excel in strength, and my tenderest com 
passions move toward those that exceed in weakness. 
But of all the children of God, none have so great a 
right to my peculiar love as you. Your stated or occa- 
sional attendance on my poor ministry, and the countless 
thousands of steps you have taken to hear the word of 
our common Lord from my despised pulpit, as well as 
the bonds of neighbourhood, and the many happy hours 

25 



194 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



I have spent before the throne of grace with you, endear 
you peculiarly to me. 

44 With tears of grateful joy I recollect the awful 
moments when we have, in the strength of our dear 
Redeemer, bound ourselves to stand to our baptismal 
vow : to renounce all sin, to believe all the articles of 
the Christian faith, and keep God's commandments to 
the end of our life ; especially the new commandment, 
which enjoins us to love one another as Christ has loved 
us. O my dear brethren, let this repeated vow, so 
reasonable, so just, and so comfortable, appear to us 
worthy of our greatest regard. For my own part, ask- 
ing pardon of God, and you all, for not having exulted 
more in the privilege of keeping that vow every day 
better, and of loving you every hour more tenderly, I 
am not at all discouraged ; but determine, with new 
courage and delight, to love my neighbour as myself ; 
and to love our covenant God, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, with all my mind, heart, and strength : — with 
all the powers of my understanding, will, and affec- 
tions. This resolution is bold, but it is evangelical ; 
being equally founded on the precept and promise of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, whose cleansing blood can atone 
for all our past unfaithfulness, and whose almighty Spi- 
rit can enable us to perform all Gospel obedience for thf 
time to come. 

44 1 find much comfort in my weak state of health, 
from my relation to my covenant God. O the comfort 
of cleaving to Christ by faith, and of finding that Christ 
xS our all ! In that centre of life let us all meet, and 
death itself will not separate us ; for Christ our life is 
the resurrection ; and Christ, our common resurrection, 
will bring us back from the grave, to worship him alto- 
gether, where absence and sickness shall interrupt and 
separate us no more. 

" I sometimes feel a desire of being buried where 
you are buried, and having my bones lie in a common 
earthen bed with yours; but I soon resign that wish, 
and leaving that particular to Providence, I exult in 
thinking that whatever distance there may be between 
our graves, we can now bury our sins, cares, doubts, 
and fears in the one grave of our Divine Saviour ; and 
that we may rejoice, each of us in our measure, that 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



195 



neither life nor death, neither things present m r things 
to come, shall ever be able (while we hang on the Cru- 
cified, as he hung on the cross) to separate us from 
Christ our head, nor from the love of each othqr his 
members. 

44 Love, then, one another, my dear brethren, I entreat 
you, and if I, your poor unworthy shepherd, am smitten, 
be not scattered ; but rather be more closely gathered 
into Christ, and keep near each other in faith and love, 
till you all receive our second Comforter and Advocate 
in the glory of his fulness. This indwelling of the Com- 
forter perfects the mystery of sanctification in the be- 
liever's soul. This is the highest blessing of the Chris- 
tian covenant on earth. Rejoicing in God our Creator, 
in God our Redeemer, let us look for the full comfort 
of God our Sanctifier. 

44 My paper fails, but not my love. It embraces you 
all in the bowels of Jesus Christ ; to whose love I ear- 
nestly recommend you ; earnestly desiring you would 
recommend to his faithful mercy your affectionate friend 
and brother, your unworthy pastor and fellow helper in 
the faith, J. F." 

40. He wrote letters also to many private friends in 
different parts. Indeed, hardly a day passed in which 
he did not write to one or other. But as extracts from 
most of these have been published, I shall spare myself 
and the reader the trouble of referring to many of them 
here. Add to this, that whenever he found any ability 
for it, his thoughts and pen were occupied in contribut- 
ing more or less to what he continued to have much at 
heart, the completing of his forementioned 44 Plan of 
Reconciliation." Of this, January 19, he speaks as 
follows to the Rev. Vincent Perronet : — 

44 1 have of late thought much upon a method of re- 
conciling the Calvinists and Arminians. I have seen 
some Calvinian ministers who seem inclined to a plan 
of pacification. I wish I had strength enough to draw 
the sketch of it for your improvement. I think the 
thing is by no means impracticable, if we would but look 
one another in the face, and fall together at the feet of 
Him who makes men to be of one mind in a house,, 
and made once all believers to be of one soul in the 
Church. Let us pray, hope, wait, and be ready to cast 



196 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



one mite of endeavour toward the blessing of a recon- 
ciliation, in which none could be more glad to second 
you than, honoured and dear sir, your affectionate, 
obliged son in the Gospel, J. F." 

41. By these exertions of body and mind, reading, 
thinking, writing, and conversing, he undoubtedly 
greatly impeded his recovery : so that, although he 
was in a good air, had good accommodations, and a 
variety of helps joined to the kindness of his friends, 
all which he mentions in the letter last quoted with 
gratitude, he made little or no progress toward the 
recovery of his health while at Newington. A few days 
before, he says to a friend, " Venturing to ride out in 
the frost, the air was too sharp for my weak lungs, and 
opened my wound, which has thrown me back again." 
On the 29th he observes, " Providence sent me, last 
Sunday, Dr. Turner, who, under God, saved my life 
twenty-three years ago in a dangerous illness ; and I 
am inclined to try what his method will do. He orders 
me asses' milk, chicken, <&c, forbids me riding, and 
recommends the greatest quietness. He prohibits the 
use of Bristol water ; advises some waters of a purga- 
tive nature, and tries to promote expectoration by a 
method that so far answers, though I spit by it more 
blood than before. It will be in order to cure one way 
or other. 

" With respect to my soul, I find it good to be in the 
balance, awfully weighed every day for life or death. I 
thank God the latter has lost its sting, and endears to 
me the Prince of life. But O, I want Christ, my re- 
surrection, to be a thousand times more dear to me ; 
and doubt not he will be so when I am filled with the 
Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of 
him. Let us wait for that glory, praising God for all 
we have received, and do daily receive ; and trusting 
him for all we have not yet received. Let our faith do 
justice to his veracity, our hope to his goodness, and 
our love to all his perfections. It is good to trust in 
the Lord, and his saints like well to hope in him. I 
am provided here with every necessary and convenient 
blessing for my state. The great have even done me 

the honour of calling. Mr. Shirley, Mr. R d Hill, 

Mr. Peckwell, &c. I exhort them to promote peace 



LIFE OF REV- J. FLETCHER. 



197 



m the Church, which they take kindly. I hope God 
will incline us all to peace, living and dying. Lady 
Huntingdon has written me a kind letter also. O for 
universal, lasting kindness ! This world to me is now 
become a world of love. May it be so to my dear friend 
also. My kindest love and thanks wait on yourself, 
Mrs. Ireland, and all your dear family, J. F." 

The above was addressed to Mr. Ireland, and three 
weeks after he says to one of his parishioners : — " My 
dear friend, Mr. Ireland, brought me, last week, Sir John 
Elliot, who is esteemed the greatest physician in Lon- 
don in consumptive cases. He gave hopes of my re- 
covery upon using proper diet and means. I was bled 
yesterday for the third time : and my old doctor thinks, 
by gentle evacuations and spring herbs, to mend my 
juices. Be that as it may, I calmly leave all to God ; 
and use the means without trusting in them. I am per- 
fectly taken care of by my kind friends, whom I recom- 
mend to your prayers as well as myself. 

" With respect to my soul, I calmly wait, in unshaken 
resolution, for the full salvation of my God; ready to 
trust him, and to venture on his faithful love, and on the 
sure mercies of David, either at midnight, noonday, or 
'ockcrowing : for my times are in his hand, and his time 
is best, and is my time. Death has lost his sting ; and, 
I thank God, I know not what hurry of spirit is, or un- 
believing fears, under my most terrifying symptoms. 
Glory be to God in Christ for this unspeakable mercy ! 
Help me to praise him for it." 

42. One of those who visited him at Newington was 
Mr. William Perronet : a pious, sensible, benevolent, 
and amiable man, who was snatched hence in the strength 
of his years. He often said the first sight of Mr. Fletcher 
fixed an impression upon his mind which never wore off, 
till it issued in a real conversion to God ; accompanied 
with a most affectionate and lasting regard for the 
Instrument of that happy change.' 

Of this friendly man Mr. Fletcher writes thus to Miss 
Perronet : — "I cannot tell you how much I am obliged 
to your dear brother for all his kind, brotherly attend- 
ance as a physician. He has given me his time, his 
long walks, his remedies : he has brought me Dr. Turner 
several time?, and will not so much as allow me to reim 



i98 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



burse his expenses. Help me to thank him for all his 
profusion of love, for I cannot sufficiently do it myself. 
Give my duty to your father : I throw myself in spirit 
at his feet, and ask his blessing, and an interest in his 
prayers. Tell him that the Lord is gracious to me ; 
does not suffer the enemy to disturb my peace ; and 
gives me, in prospect, the victory over death. Thanks 
be to God, who giveth us this great victory, through our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Absolute resignation to the Divine 
will, baffles a thousand temptations, and confidence in 
our Saviour carries us sweetly through a thousand trials. 
God fill us abundantly with both!" 

43. But although he had every help of advice and 
medicine, as well as diet, air, and attendance; which 
he could have, all at this time proved ineffectual to re- 
store him. His physicians, therefore, advised that he 
should again have recourse to the Bristol waters. Ac- 
cordingly Mr. Ireland, who had visited him while at 
Newington, and had brought Sir John Elliott to see him, 
as before mentioned, came, with Mrs. Ireland, and took 
him to their house at Brislington, near Bristol, for that 
purpose. A little after his arrival there, he wrote the 
following letter of thanks to the kind friends who had 
entertained him so long, and with so much affection, at 
Newington : — 

" To my very dear friends and benefactors, Charles 
and Mary Greenwood, — My prayers shall always be 
that the merciful may find mercy, and that the great 
kindness I have found under your quiet roof may be 
showed you everywhere under the canopy of heaven. 
I think with grateful joy on the days of calm retreat I 
have been blessed with at Newington, and lament my 
not having improved better the opportunity of sitting, 
like Mary, at the feet of my great Physician. May he 
requite your kind care to a dying worm by abundantly 
caring for you and yours, and making all your bed in 
your sickness ! May you enjoy full health !. May you 
hunger and thirst after righteousness, both that of Christ 
and that of the Holy Ghost, and be abundantly filled 
therewith ! May his rod and staff comfort you under all 
the troubles of life, the decays of the body, the assaults 
of the enemy, and the pangs of death ! May the reviving 
cordials of the word of truth he ever within the reach 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



199 



of your faith, and may your eager faith make a ready 
and constant use of them ; especially when faintings 
come upon you, and your hands begin to hang down ! 
May you stand in the clefts of the Rock of ages, and 
there be safely sheltered when all the storms of justice 
shall fall around ! May you have always such temporal 
and spiritual helps, friends, and comforts, as I haie 
found in your pleasing retreat ! 

" You have received a poor Lazarus, though his sores 
were not visible. You have had compassion like the 
good Samaritan : you have admitted me to the enjoy- 
ment of your best things ; and he that did not deserve 
to have the dogs to lick his sores has always found the 
members of Jesus ready to prevent, to remove, or to 
bear his burdens. And now what shall I say ? What 
but, Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift ! and 
thanks to my dear friends for all their favours ! They 
will, I trust, be found faithfully recorded in my breast 
when the great Rewarder of those who diligently seek 
him will render to every man according to his ivorks. 
Then shall a raised Lazarus appear in the gate to testify 
of the love of Charles and Mary Greenwood and of their 
godly sister. 

" I thought myself a little better last Sunday ; but I 
have since spit more blood than I had done for weeks 
before. Glory be to God for every providence ! His 
will be done in me, by health or sickness, by life or 
death 1 All from him is, and, I trust, will always be wel- 
come to your obliged pensioner, J. F." 



CHAPTER VII. 

Prom his leaving Newington, till his return from Switzerland to 
Madeley. 

1. It was in the latter end of April, 1777, that Mr. 
Fletcher was removed from Newington to Bristol, having 
continued with Mr. Greenwood upward of fifteen weeks. 
" I was desired by Mr. and Mrs. Ireland," says Miss 
Thornton, " to bear them company to Bristol, which I 



200 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



willingly did. Indeed, I looked upon it as a call from 
God : nor could I desire a greater honour than to share 
in the employment of angels, in ministering to a distin- 
guished heir of salvation. At Brislington, near Bristol, 
he continued in the same holy, earnest course as at New- 
ington. Every day he drank the Hotwell water, and it 
agreed with him well : so that he appeared to gather a 
little strength ; though not so swiftly as was expected. 
And all the strength which he received he laid out in 
labours of love, for the benefit of all those, rich or poor, 
whom Providence cast in his way. 

"Whenever he was in company it was his general 
method, so far as his strength would admit, to pray par- 
ticularly for every person present. And from his habit- 
ual prayer resulted that life and energy in his words 
which every one that was blessed with his society felt 
more or less. Now and then likewise he ventured to 
pray in the family. But he was not wary enough in 
this. He more than once so much exerted himself that 
he was brought very low. As soon as he was well 
enough to write, he was intent upon finishing two trea- 
tises for the press. The Plan of Reconciliation, in par- 
ticular, lay very near his heart. He longed to conclude 
it before he died, which he wished to do, breathing peace 
to Jerusalem, and pointing out to the children of God 
the most probable means of effecting it : of uniting to- 
gether, in the bonds of peace and love, all the true 
ministers and followers of Jesus." 

2. From Bristol he paid his friends in Bath a visit, 
from whence, July 8, 1777, he wrote as follows to one 
of his parishioners : — 

" My Dear Brother, — I heartily thank you for your 
kind letter ; and by y ou I desire to give my best thanks 
to the dear companions in tribulation whom you meet, 
and who so kindly remember so worthless and unprofit- 
able a minister as me. May the God of all grace and 
love our common Father, and our all, bless you all, and 
all our brethren, with all blessings spiritual ; and with 
such temporal favours as will best serve the end of your 
growth in grace. 

" My desire is, if I should be spared to minister to you 
again, to do it with more humility, zeal, diligence, and 
love ; and to make more of you all than I have done. 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



201 



But as matters are, you must take the will for the deed. 
Let us all praise God for what is past, and trust him for 
what is to come. The Lord enable you to cleave to 
Christ, and in him to abide in one mind, striving together 
for the hope of the Gospel, the fulness of the Spirit, and 
that kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost, of which we have so often discoursed to- 
gether, but into which we have not pressed with suffi- 
cient ardour and violence. God give us the humble, 
violent faith which inherits the promise of the Father, 
that we may triumph in Christ, and adorn his Gospel in 
life and death. 

"I hope to see you before the summer is ended, if it 
please God to spare me and give me strength for the 
journey. I am in some respects better than when I 
came here, and was enabled to bury a corpse last Sun- 
day to oblige the minister of the parish ; but whether 
it was that little exertion of voice or something else, 
bad symptoms have returned since. Be that as it may, all 
is well ; for He that does all things well, rules and over- 
rules all. I have stood the heats we have had these two 
days better than I expected. I desire you will help me 
to bless the Author of all good for this and every other 
blessing of this life : but above all for the lively hopes 
of the next, and for Christ our common hope, peace, 
joy, wisdom, righteousness, salvation, and all. In him 
I meet, love, and embrace you. God bless you all, and 
crown you with loving kindness and tender mercy all 
the day long ! I live if you stand. Don't let me want 
the reviving cordial of hearing that you stand together 
firm in the faith, broken in humility, and rejoicing in the 
loving hope of the glory of God. Look much at Jesus. 
Bless God much for the gift of his only begotten Son. 
Be much in private prayer. Forsake not the assembling 
yourselves together in little companies, as well as in 
public. Walk humbly as in the sight of death and eter- 
nity ; and ever pray for your affectionate, but unworthy 
minister, J. F." 

3. He made no long stay at Bath, but spent the chief 
part of his time for several months at Brislington or 
Bristol. In one place or the other, as well as at New- 
ington, he was visited by many respectable persons. 
Many of these were Calvinists ; several of whom bore 

26 



202 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



witness to his deep piety and exalted spiri But a dis 
senting minister, after pressing him hard with regard to 
some of his opinions, told him, with great warmth, 
"Mr. Fletcher, you had better have been gasping for 
life with an asthma, or have had all your limbs unstrung 
by a palsy, than to have written those Checks." Mr. 
Fletcher replied, " Sir, I then wanted more love, and I 
do so still:" and in his highest fervours of Divine love 
he always acknowledged his want of more. 

4. Here also he missed no opportunity of instructing 
servants and children, suiting his discourse, in a manner 
peculiar to himself, to their capacity or their business. 
And what would have appeared low in another, did not 
appear so when spoken by him. Thus he advised the 
cook " to stir up the fire of Divine love in his heart, 
that it might burn up all the rubbish therein, and raise a 
flame of holy affection : to which, with the greatest 
cordiality, he subjoined a short prayer. Thus to the 
housemaid he said, " I entreat you to sweep every corner 
of your heart, that it may be fit to receive your heavenly 
Guest."" To a poor man who came there in a deep con- 
sumption, but little concerned for his soul, he said in a 
very solemn manner, (laying one hand on his own 
breast, and the other on the poor man's,) " God has fixed 
a loud knocker at your breast and mine. Because we 
did not regard as we ought to have done the gentle 
knocks and calls of his Holy Spirit, his word, and his 
providences, he has taken fast hold here, and we cannot 
get out of his hand. O let the knocker awaken you, 
who are just dropping into eternity !" 

When one or another occasionally mentioned any 
unkind thing which had been said of him or his writings, 
if the person who had said it was named, he would stop 
the speaker immediately, and offer up the most fervent 
prayer for the person of whom he spoke. He did not 
willingly suffer any one to say any thing against his op- 
ponents. And he made all the allowances for them 
which, on a change of circumstances, he would have 
wished them to make for him. 

5. This year our annual conference was held at Bris- 
tol. Here and at Brislington I had several opportuni- 
ties of seeing and conversing with Mr. Fletcher, and 
always found him in the devout and zealous spirit above 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



203 



described. He happened to be passing by the door of 
the stable belonging to our chapel in Broad Mead, when 
I was lighting from my horse, and I shall never forget 
with what a heavenly air and sweet countenance he in- 
stantly came up to me in the stable, and in a most so- 
lemn manner, putting his hands upon my head as if he 
had been ordaining me for the sacred office of the minis- 
try, prayed most fervently for, and blessed me in the 
name of the Lord. To act in this way indeed toward 
his friends was no uncommon thing with him : he was 
wont to do it frequently, and that in a manner so serious 
and devout that it was almost impossible not to be deeply 
affected with it. 

" In August, 1777," says Mr. James Rogers, " I was 
appointed to (leave Edinburgh, and) labour in the east 
of Cornwall. I had long desired to converse with that 
great and good man, Mr. Fletcher ; and now an oppor- 
tunity offered itself. Stopping at Bristol for a few days 
to rest myself and horse, I heard of his being at Mr. Ire- 
land's, about three miles off, in a poor state of health, 
and, with two of my brethren, went to see him. When 
we came there he was returning from a ride which he 
was advised by his physician to take every day. Dis- 
mounting from his horse, he came toward us with arms 
spread open, and eyes lifted up to heaven. His apos- 
tolic appearance, with the whole of his deportment, 
amazingly affected us. 

"The first words he spoke, while yet standing in the 
stable by his horse, were a part of the sixteenth chapter 
of St. John, most of which he repeated. And while he 
pointed out the descent of the Holy Ghost, as the great 
promise of the Father, and the privilege of all New Tes- 
tament believers, in a manner I never had heard before, 
my soul was dissolved into tenderness, and became even 
as melting wax before the fire. 

" As an invidious report had been spread that he had 
recanted what he had lately written against Calvinism, in 
those excellent writings of his, entitled his 'Checks, &c.,' 
I took the liberty to mention the report, and asked him 
what he thought had given rise to it ? He replied he 
could not tell ; except that he had refrained from speak- 
ing on controverted points since he came to Mr. Ire- 
land's : partly by reason of the poor state of his health, 



204 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



and because he did not wish to grieve his kind friend by 
making his house a field of controversy. But he assured 
us he had never yet seen cause to repent of what he had 
written in defence of the Rev. Mr. Wesley's Minutes. 
And although he believed his close application was the 
mean of reducing his body to the state in which we 
then saw it, yet if he fell a victim, it was in a good 
cause. 

" After a little farther conversation upon the universal 
love of God in Christ Jesus, we were about to take our 
leave, when Mr. Ireland sent his footman into the yard 
with a bottle of red wine, and some slices of bread upon 
a waiter : we all uncovered our heads while Mr. Fletcher 
craved a blessing upon the same ; which he had no 
sooner done, but he handed first the bread to each, and 
lifting up his eyes to heaven pronounced those words, 
4 The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for 
thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.' 
Afterward handing the wine, he repeated in like manner, 
4 The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ,' &c. But such a 
sacrament I never had before. A sense of the Divine 
presence rested upon us all ; and we were melted into 
floods of tears. His worthy friend, Mr. Ireland, grieved 
to see him exhaust his little strength by so much speak- 
ing, took him by the arm and almost forced him into 
the house ; while he kept looking wishfully, and speak- 
ing to us, as long as we could see him. We then 
mounted our horses and rode away. That very hour 
more than repaid me for my whole journey from Edin- 
burgh to Cornwall." 

6. September 6th, of that year, he wrote as follows, 
to the amiable and venerable Vincent Perronet, vicar of 
Shoreham : — 

" My Very Dear. Father, — I humbly thank you for 
the honour and consolation of your two kind letters. 
Your vouchsafing to remember a poor, unprofitable 
worm, is to me a sure token that my heavenly Father 
earnestly remembers me still. He is God, and there- 
fore I am not consumed : — He is a werciful, all-gra- 
cious God, and therefore I am blessed with sympathizing 
friends and gracious helpers on all sides. O, sir, if in 
this disordered, imperfect state of the Church, I meet 
with so much kindness, what shall I not meet with when 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



205 



\ millennium you pray for shall begin ! O that the 
tnought, the glorious hope, may animate me to perfect 
holiness in the fear of God ; that I may be accounted 
worthy to escape the terrible judgments which will make 
way for that happy state of things, and that I may have 
a part in the first resurrection, if I am numbered among 
ihe dead before that happy period begin ! 

' O ! for a firm and lasting faith, 
To credit all the Almighty saith ! 
To embrace the promise of his Son, 
And call that glorious rest our own !' 

" We are savecWby hope at this time. But hope that is 
seen is not hope. Let us abound, then, in hope, through 
the power of the Holy Ghost : so shall we antedate the 
millennium, take the kingdom, and enjoy, beforehand, the 
rest which remains for the people of God. Your great 
age, dear sir, and my great weakness, have brought us to 
the verge of eternity. O, may we exult in the prospect, 
and look on that boundless sea through the glass of faith, 
and through the clefts of the Rock of ages, struck for 
us, through the veil of Christ's flesh, who, by dying for 
our sins, and rising again for our justification, is become 
our resurrection and our life. 

" One of my parishioners brought a horse last week 
to carry me home ; and desired to walk by my side all 
the way. By the advice of your dear son, (Mr. William 
Perronet.) who still continues to bestow upon me all the 
help I could expect from the most loving brother, I sent 
the man back. I thank God I am a little stronger than 
when I came hither. I kiss the rod, lean on the staff, 
and wait the end. I yesterday saw a physician who 
told me my case is not yet an absolutely lost case. But 
the prospect of languishing two or three years longer, 
a burden to every body, a help to none, would be very 
painful, if the will of God and the covenant of life in 
Christ Jesus did not sanctify all circumstances, and dis- 
pel every gloom. I remember with grateful joy the 
happy days I spent at Shoreham : Tecum vivere amem ; 
tecum obeam lubens. (' I could love to live with you ; 
with you I would willingly die.') But what is better 
still, I shall live with the Lord and with you for ever 
and ever. Your obliged servant and affectionate son, 

"J. F." 



206 



LIFE OF REV. J, FLETCHER. 



7. Mr. Fletcher continued at Brislington till the end 
of summer, by which time it evidently appeared that the 
Hotwell water, and the other means which had been 
recommended by his physicians, and tried for so many 
months, had produced little or no good effect. It was 
then concluded that nothing, humanly speaking, could 
save his life, but a sea voyage and his own country air. 
This, as was observed above, had been recommended by 
his friend, Mr. Ireland, with the advice of a physician, 
the preceding year. Then, however, he could not be 
prevailed upon to try these remedies. But now, find- 
ing all other means ineffectual, he consented, and that 
the more readily, as one of his sisters was in a poor state 
of health, and, indeed, apparently dying, in Switzerland, 
and he ardently wished to see and converse with her 
before her departure. As soon as a voyage to the con- 
tinent was concluded on, he wrote as follows to Mrs. 
Thornton :— 

" I am going to do by my poor sister what you have 
done by me, to try to smooth the road of sickness to the 
chamber of death. Gratitude and blood call me to it : — 
you have done it without such calls ; your Christian 
kindness is freer than mine ; but not so free as the love 
of Jesus, who took upon him our nature, that he might 
bear our infirmities, die our death, and make over to us 
his resurrection and his life after ail we had done to 
render life hateful and death horrible to him. O for 
this matchless love let rocks and hills, let hearts and 
tongues break an ungrateful silence ; and let your Chris- 
tian muse find new anthems, and your poetic heart new 
flights of eloquence and thankfulness! 

" I shall be glad to hear from you in Switzerland, and 
shall doubly rejoice if you can send me word that she, 
who is joined to the Lord according to the glory of the 
new covenant, is one spirit with him, and enjoys all the 
glorious liberty of the children of God." 

8. It appears, however, that shortly after this he be- 
came so much worse as to have great reason to doubt 
whether he should be able to make such a voyage. — 
" You should have heard from me," says he to the same 
person a few weeks afterward, " if sometimes want of 
spirits to hold a pen, and for some days want of paper, 
had not stood in the way of my inclination. Now I have 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



207 



paper, and a degree of strength, how can I employ both 
better, than in trying to fulfil with my pen the great 
commandment, which contains my duty to God and 
my neighbour ? But what can a pen do here ? — It can 
just testify what my heart feels, — that no words can 
describe what I owe to my heavenly Benefactor, to my 
earthly friends, and to you, in particular, who have had 
so much patience as to stand by me, and bear a share 
in my burdens, for so many months, at home and abroad, 

"May the merciful, faithful God, who has promised 
that a cup of cold water given to the least of his fol- 
lowers, shall not lose its reward ; — may that omnipotent 
God who sees you in all the states of weakness which 
await you between the present moment and the hour of 
death, give you all that can make your life comfortable, 
your trials tolerable, your death triumphant, and your 
eternity glorious ! 

" What I ask for you, I also peculiarly beg for your 
dear brother and sister, who have vouchsafed to bind so 
dry, so insignificant (I had almost said, so rotten) a stick 
as myself in the bundle of that love with which they 
eml race the poor, the lame, the helpless, the loathsome, 
and those who have their sores without, as Lazarus, or 
within, as I. May we all be found bound up together in 
the bundle of life, light, and love, with our Lord ! And 
when he shall make up his jewels, may you all shine 
among his diamonds of the finest water and the first 
magnitude ! 

" You want, possibly, to know how I go on Though 
I am not worth a line, I shall observe, to the glory of 
my patient, merciful Preserver and Redeemer, that I 
am kept in sweet peace, and a looking for the tri- 
umphant joy of my Lord, and for the fulness expressed 
in these words, which sweetly filled the sleepless hours 
of last night,— 

' Drawn, — and redeem'd,— and seal'd, 
I bless the One and Three, 
With Father, Son, and Spirit fill'd 
To all eternity.' 

" With respect to my body, I sleep less, and spit more 
blood than I did when you were here, nor can I bear 
the least trot of an easy horse. If this continue many 
days, instead thinking to go and see my friends on 



208 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



the continent, I shall turn my steps to my earthly home, 
to be ready to lay my bones in my churchyard ; and in 
such a case I shall put you in mind of your kind pro- 
mise, that you would do to the last the office of a guar- 
dian angel, — hold up my hands in my last conflict, and 
close my eyes when it is over. Two of my parishioners 
came to convey me safe home, and had persuaded me 
to go with them in a post chaise; but I had so bad a 
night before the day I was to set out, that I gave it up. 
My prospects and ways are shut up, so that I have 
nothing to look at but Jesus and the grave. May I so 
look at them as to live in Him who is my resurrection 
and life ; and die in all the meekness and holiness of 
my Lord and my all ! I humbly request a continued 
interest in your fervent prayers, that I may be found 
completely ready when my Lord's messenger shall come 
for my soul." 

9. In the latter end of October he found himself a lit- 
tle restored, as appears by a letter written from Madeley 
on the 21st of that month, and addressed to Lady Mary 
Fitzgerald ; in which he says, "I have taken the bark 
for some days, and it seems to have been blessed to the 
removal of my spitting of blood. Time will decide 
whether it be a real removal, or only a suspension of 
that symptom. Either will prove a blessing, as His will 
is our health." With respect to his intended journey, 
he observes to the same right honourable person : — 
" My brothers and sisters invite me to breathe once more 
my natal air ; and the physicians recommend to me a 
journey to the continent. I wait for the last intimations 
of Providence to determine me to go. If I do, I shall 
probably pass through London, and in that case I could 
have the honour of waiting upon you. I say probably, 
because I shall only follow my friend, and a serious 
family which goes to spend the winter in the south of 
France, or in Spain ; and I do not yet know whether 
they design to embark at Dover, or at some port in the 
west of England. 

"You have been afflicted," he farther adds, " as well 
as myself. May our maladies yield the peaceable fruits 
of righteousness — complete deadness to the world, and 
increased faith in the mercy, love, and power of Him 
who supports under the greatest trials, and can make 



LIFE OF REV. 



J • 



FLETCHER. 



209 



©ur extremity of weakness an opportunity of displaying 
the freeness of his grace and the greatness of his power 

Tell Mrs. G and Mrs. L that I salute them 

under the cross with the sympathy of a companion in 
tribulation ; and rejoice at the thought of doing it when 
the cross shall be exchanged for the crown. In the 
meantime, let us glory in the cross of our common 
Head, and firmly believe that he is exalted to give us 
whatever is best for us in life, in death, and for ever." 

The following observations, in the same letter, are 
also well worth attention : — " In order to live singly to 
God, the best method is to desire it with meekness ; to 
spread the desire in quietness before Him who inspired 
it ; to offer him now all we have and are, as we can ; 
and to enlarge our expectation, that he may satisfy it 
with good things, with all his fulness, or that he may 
try our patience, and teach us to know our total help- 
lessness. With respect to the weeping frame of repent- 
ance, and the joyous one of faith, they are both good 
alternately ; but the latter is the better of the two, be- 
cause it enables us to do and suffer the will of God, and 
praise him, which honours Christ more ; both are hap- 
pily mixed. May they be so in you, madam, and in 
your unworthy and obliged servant, J. F." 

10. It was by the advice of Mr. William Perronet, 
who had been so kind as to go from London to Bristol 
to visit him, that he took the bark. To him he writes, 
November 19: — " May the Lord visit you when you 
shall be sick ! and may he raise you such kind friends, 
helpers, and comforters, as he has raised to me ! I have 
continued to take the bark since you went, and it seems 
to have been blessed to me. My spitting of blood is 
almost stopped ; my breast stronger. I am, I hope, 
better, upon the whole ; and if I do not relapse, I may 
yet be able to preach, according to your dear father's 
prophecy. I hope to have the pleasuie of seeing and 
thanking you, sir, and Dr. Turner, in my way to Dover, 
some- time the week after next. 

" O, my dear friend, Jesus is at the end of the race. 
Your dear brothers* have run k out ; we follow them. 

* Messrs. Vincent and Charles Perronet, and some others of the 
Rev. Mr. Perronet's children, who had died in great peace aii-d 
triumph. 



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LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



for more speed ! more winged despatch ! more of 
that power that takes the kingdom of heaven by vio- 
lence ! That the Lord would give us more power, and 
make us more faithful in the use of that which we have, 
is the earnest prayer of your obliged friend, J. F." 

11. The time of setting out on his journey to the 
continent being now fixed, he judged it proper to explain 
himself more fully than he had done, to some of his 
friends at Madeley, and withal to signify his mind to 
them respecting some temporal affairs depending there. 
He therefore wrote as follows to Messrs. Thomas York 
and Daniel Edmonds, who, it seems, for some time, 
assisted him in managing the secular concerns of the 
vicarage. 

" The debt of gratitude I owe to a dying sister, who 
once took a very long journey to see me, when I was ill 
in Germany, and whom I just stopped from coming, last 
winter, to Newington to nurse me ; the unanimous ad- 
vice of the physicians whom I have consulted, and the 
opportunity of travelling with serious friends, have at 
last determined me to remove to a warmer climate. As 
it is doubtful, very doubtful, whether I shall be able to 
stand the journey; and if I do, whether I shall be able 
to come back to England ; and if I come back, whether 

1 shall be able to serve my Church, it is right to make 
what provision I can to have it properly served while T 
Uve, and to secure some spiritual assistance to my seri- 
ous parishioners when I shall be no more. I have at- 
tempted to build a house in Madeley Wood, about the 
centre of the parish, where I should be glad the chil- 
dren might be taught to read and write in the day, and 
the grown up people might hear the word of God in the 
evening, when they can get an evangelist to preach it 
to them ; and where the serious people might assemble 
for social worship when they have no teacher. 

"This has involved me in some difficulties about dis- 
charging the expense of that building, and paying for 
the ground it stands upon ; especially as my ill health 
has put me on the additional expense of an assistant. If 
I had strength, I would serve my Church alone, board 
as cheap as I could, and save what I could from the pro- 
duce of the living to clear the debt, and leave that little 
token of my love free from encumbrances to my parish- 



LIFE OF 



REV. 



J. FLETCHER. 



211 



funers. But as Providence orders things otherwise, I 
have another object, which is to secure a faithful minis- 
ter to serve the Church while I live. Providence has 
sent me dear Mr. Greaves, who loves the people, and is 
loved by them. I should be glad to make him comfort- 
able ; and as all the care of the flock, by my illness, 
devolves upon him, I would not hesitate for a moment 
to let him have all the profit of the living, if it were m t 
for the debt contracted about the room. My difficulty 
lies, then, between what I owe to my fellow labourer, 
and what I owe to my parishioners, whom I should be 
sorry to have burdened with a debt contracted for the 
room. 

"I beg you will let me know how the balance of my 
account stands, that, some way or other, I may order it 
to be paid immediately ; for if the balance is against 
me, I could not leave England comfortably without hav- 
ing settled the payment. A letter w^ill settle this busi- 
ness, as well as if twenty friends were at the trouble of 
taking a journey ; and talking is far worse for me than 
reading or writing. I do not say this to put a slight 
upon my dear friends. I should rejoice to see them if 
it would answer any end. 

" Ten thousand pardons of my dear friends for trou- 
bling them with this scrawl about worldly matters. May 
God help us all so to settle our eternal concerns that 
when we shall be called to go to our long home and 
heavenly country, we may be ready, and have our 
acquittance along with us. I am quite tired with writ- 
ing ; nevertheless, I cannot lay by my pen without de- 
siring my best Christian love to all my dear companions 
in tribulation, and neighbours in Shropshire." 

To another friend whom he had been also obliged to 
trouble in that way, his words are : — " Pardon the trouble 
I have given you in my temporal concerns ; it is more 
for the poor and the Lord than for me. O, my dear 
friend, let us pass through the things temporal so as not 
to lose the things eternal. Let us honour God's truth 
by believing his word ; Christ's blood by hoping firmly 
in Divine mercy ; and all the Divine perfections by lov- 
ing God with all our hearts, and one another as Christ 
loved us. My kind love to all the brethren on both sides 
th* water. 



212 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



" Go from me to Mrs. : tell her I charge her, in 

the name of God, to give up the world, to set out with 
all speed for heaven, and to join the few that fear God 
about her. If she refuse, call weekly, if not daily, and 
warn her from me. Tell the brethren at Broseley that 
I did my body an injury the last time I preached to them 
on the green ; but I do not repine at it if they took the 
warning, ^nd have ceased to be neither hot nor cold, 
and begin to be warm in zeal, love, prayer, and every 

grace. Give my love to , tell him to make haste to 

Christ, and not to doze away his last days. 

"The physician has not yet given me up ; butl bless 
God, I do not wait for his farewell to give myself up to 
my God and Saviour. I write by stealth, as my friends 
here would have me forbear writing, and even talking ; 
but I will never part with my privilege of writing and 
shouting thanks be to God who giveth us the victory 
over sin, death, and the grave, through Jesus Christ ! 
To him be glory for ever and ever." 

12. The above letters manifest, in a striking light, his 
gratitude to his benefactors, and his great love to his 
parishioners, and concern for their salvation. But the 
latter is discovered still more in the following pastoral 
address to them, written a few days before he left Bristol. 

" To the brethren who hear the word of God in the 
parish church of Madeley. 

" My Dear Brethren, — I thank you for the declara- 
tion of your affectionate remembrance which you have 

sent me by , the messenger of your brotherly love. 

As a variety of reasons, with which I shall not trouble 
you, prevent my coming to take my leave of you in per- 
son, permit me to do it by letter. The hopes of recover- 
ing a little strength to come and serve you again in the 
Gospel, make me take the advice of the physicians, who 
say that removing to a drier air and warmer climate 
might be of great service to my health. I kiss the rod 
which smites me. I adore the Providence which lays 
me aside ; and beg that by this long correction of my 
heavenly Father, I may be so pruned as to bring forth 
more fruit, if I am spared. 

" I am more and more persuaded that I have not de- 
clared unto you cunningly devised fables, and that the 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



213 



Gospel I have had the honour of preaching, though 
feebly, among you is the power of God to salvation tc 
every one who believes it with the heart. God grant 
we may all be of that happy number! Want of time 
does not permit me to give you more directions ; but if 
you follow those which fill the rest of this page, they 
may supply the want of a thousand. Have every day 
lower thoughts of yourselves, higher thoughts of Christ, 
kinder thoughts of your brethren, and more hopeful 
thoughts of all around you. Love to assemble in the 
great congregation, and with your companions in tribu- 
lation ; but above all, love to pray to your Father in 
secret : to consider your Saviour, who says, Look unto 
me and be saved ; and to listen for your Sanctifier and 
Comforter, who whispers that he stands at the door, and 
knocks to enter into your inmost souls, and to set up his 
kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy, with Divine 
power, in your willing breasts. Wait all the day long 
for his glorious appearing within you; and, when you 
are together, by suitable prayers, proper hymns, and 
enlivening exhortations, keep up your earnest expect- 
ation of his pardoning and sanctifying love. Let not a 
drop satisfy you ; desire an ocean, at least a fountain 
springing up to your comfort in your own souls, and 
flowing toward all around you, in streams of love and 
delightful instructions, to the consolation of those with 
whom you converse ; especially your brethren and those 
of your ow n households. Do not eat your morsel by 
yourselves, like selfish, niggardly people ; but whether 
you eat the meat that perisheth, or that which endureth 
unto everlasting life, be ready to share it with all. Cast 
your bread upon the waters, in a temporal or spiritual 
sense, and it will not be lost. God will bless your seed 
sown, and it will abundantly increase. Let every one 
with whom you converse be the better for your conver- 
sation. Be burning and shining lights wherever you 
are. Set the fire of Divine love to the hellish stubble 
of sin. Be valiant for the truth. Be champions for 
love. Be sons of thunder against sin ; and sons of con- 
solation toward humbled sinners. Be faithful to your 
God, your king, and your masters. Let not the good 
ways of God be blasphemed through any of you. Let 
your heavenly mindedness and your brotherly kindness 



214 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



be known to all men ! so that all who see you may won- 
der and say, See how these people love one another ! 

" You have need of patience as well as of faith and 
power. You must learn to suffer, as well as to do the 
will of God. Do not, then, think it strange to pass 
through fiery trials ; they are excellent for the proving, 
purifying, and strengthening of your faith: only let 
your faith be firm in a tempest. Let your hope in Christ 
be as a sure anchor cast within the veil ; and your pa- 
tient love will soon outride the storm, and make you 
find there is a peace in Christ and in the Holy Ghost 
which no man can give or take away. May that peace 
be abundantly given to you from our common Father, 
our common Redeemer, and our common Sanctifier, our 
covenant God, whom we have so often vouched to be 
our God and our all, when we have been assembled to- 
gether in his name. 

"I leave this blessed island for a while ; but I trust I 
shall never leave the kingdom of God, the Mount Sion, 
the New Jerusalem, the shadow of Christ's cross, the 
clefts of the rock smitten and pierced for us. There I 
entreat you to meet me. There I meet you in spirit. 
From thence, I trust, I shall joyfully leap into the ocean 
of eternity, to go and join those ministering spirits who 
wait on the heirs of salvation : and if I am no more per- 
mitted to minister to you in the land of the living, I re- 
joice at the thought, that I shall, perhaps, be allowed to 
accompany the angels who, if you continue in the faith, 
will be commissioned to carry your souls into Abraham's 
bosom. If our bodies do not moulder away in the same 
grave, our spirit shall be sweetly lost in the same sea of 
Divine and brotherly lore. I hope to see you again in 
the flesh; but my sweetest and firmest hope is to meet 
you where there are no parting seas, no interposing 
mountains, no sickness, no death, no fear of loving too 
much, no shame for loving too little, no apprehension 
of bursting new vessels in our lungs, by indulging the 
joy of seeing, or the sorrow of leaving our brethren. 

"In the meantime I earnestly recommend you to the 
pastoral care of the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls, 
and to the brotherly care of one another, as well as to 
the ministerial care of my substitute. The authority of 
love which you allowed me to exert among you for edifi- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



215 



cation, I return to you and divide among you ; humbly 
requesting that you would mutually use it in warning 
the unruly, supporting the weak, and comforting all. 
Should I be spared to come back, let me have the joy 
of finding you all of one heart and one soul ; continu- 
ing steadfast in the apostle's doctrine, in fellowship one 
with another, and in communion with our sin-pardoning 
and sin-abhorring God. This you may do, through 
grace, by strongly believing in the atoning blood and 
sanctifying Spirit of Christ, our common head and our 
common life ; in whom my soul embraces you, and in 
whose gracious hands I leave both you and myself. 
Bear me on your hearts before him in praying love ; and 
be persuaded that you are thus borne by, my dear bre- 
thren, yours, &c, J. F." 

13. Mr. Fletcher did not leave Brislington till about 
the beginning of December, when he set out for the south 
of France, in company with Mr. Ireland, two of his 
daughters, and another family. While at Reading, on 
his way, he wrote as follows, to his friend and father in 
Christ, the Rev. vicar of Shoreham : — 

"Reading, Dec. 2, 1777. 

''Honoured and Dear Sir, — I acknowledge, though 
late, the favour of your letter. I have given up the 
thought of going to my parish, and am now on the road 
to a warmer climate. The Lord, if it seem him good, 
may bless as much the change of air, as he has blessed 
the last remedy your son prescribed for me ; I mean the 
bark. If I should mend a little, I would begin to have 
faith in your prophecy. In the meantime let us have 
faith in Christ, more faith day by day ; till all the say- 
ings of Christ are verified to us and in us. Should I go 
to Geneva, I shall inquire after the Swiss friends of my 
dear benefactors at Shoreham, to whose prayers I hum- 
bly recommend myself and my dear fellow travellers, 
one of whom, my little goddaughter, is but eight weeks 
old. May God abundantly bless you and yours, and 
reward you for all the kindness shown to, honoured and 
dear sir, vour obliged and obedient son in the Gospel, 

"J. F." 

On the same sheet he wrote as follows to Miss Per- 
ronet : — 

"My Dear Friend, — I snatch a moment upon the 



216 



LIFE OF REV. J, FLETCHER. 



road, to acknowledge the favour of your letter, and to 
wish you joy in seeing the Lord is faithful in rewarding 
as well as punishing. I once met a gentleman, an infidel, 
abroad, who said, 4 Men have no faith : if they believed 
that by forsaking houses, lands, friends, &c, they should 
receive a hundredfold, they would instantly renounce 
all. For who would not carry all his money to the bank 
of heaven to receive a hundredfold interest?' The papists 
have made so bad a use of the rewardableness of works, 
that we dare neither preach it nor hold it in a scriptural 
manner. For my part, I think that if it were properly 
received, it would make a great alteration in the profess- 
ing world. You dare receive it ; try the mighty use of 
it : and when you have fully experienced it, do not keep 
your light to yourself, but impart it to all within the 
reach of your tongue and pen. I am glad you see that, 
after all, every reward bestowed upon a reprieved sinner 
has free grace for its foundation, and the blood of Christ 
for its mark. May the richest rewards of Divine grace 
be yours in consequence of the most exalted faithful- 
ness : and let me beseech you to pray that I may follow 
you. as you follow Christ, till our reward be full. That 
God may fill you with all his fulness, is the wish of, my 
dear friend, your obliged brother, J. F." 

14, When they arrived at Dover, the wind, though 
fair, was too high to admit of their venturing out to sea 
immediately. And I know not whether I ought to im- 
pute it to his great care to make the most of time, and 
snatch every moment of it for doing good, or to his great 
love to his people that he would not let this short oppor- 
tunity pass without dropping a few more lines to the 
pious of his flock. To them he writes : — " By the help 
of Divine Providence, and of your prayers, I have got 
safe to Dover ; and I find that the journey has, so far, 
been of service to me. I thought to have been in France 
by this time ; but the wind being high, though favour- 
able, the mariners were afraid to leave the safe harbour, 
lest they should be driven on the French cliffs too 
fiercely. This delay gives me an opportunity of writing 
a line to tell you that I shall bear you on my heart by 
sea and land ; that the earth is the Lord's with all the 
fulness thereof: that Jesus lives to pray for us ; and 
that I still recommend myself to your prayers, hoping 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



217 



to hear of your order, steadfastness, and growth of faith 
toward Christ, and of love toward each other, which 
will greatly revive vour affectionate friend and brother, 

-J. F. ,? 

He also wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood, before 
they set sail, as follows : — 

" Ten thousand blessings light upon the heads and 
hearts of my dear benefactors, Charles and Mary Green- 
wood ! May their quiet retreat at ZSewington become a 
bethel to them ! May their offspring be born again there, 
And may the choicest consolations of the Spirit visit 
their minds, whenever they retire thither from the busy 
city ! Their poor pensioner travels on, though slowly, 
toward the grave. His journey to the sea seems to him to 
have hastened, rather than retarded, his progress, to his 
old mother, earth. May every providential blast blow 
him nearer to the heavenly haven of his Saviour's breast : 
where he hopes, one day. to meet all his benefactors, 
and anions them, those whom he now addresses. O 
my dear friends, what shall I render ! What to Jesus 1 
What to you ? May He who invites the heavy laden, 
take upon him all the burdens of kindness you hare heap- 
ed upon your Lazarus ! And may angels, when you die, 
find me in Abraham's bosom, and bring you into mine. 
that by all the kindness which may be shown in heaven. 
I may try to requite that you have shown to your obliged 
brother. J. F." 

15. On what day they sailed does not appear. But it 
seems they were not many hours in reaching Calais ; 
and according to a short account of the former part of 
their journey, given by Mr. Ireland, in a letter to a 
friend, they left that place Dec. 12. - k The north wind," 
says he, " was very high, and penetrated us even in the 
chaise. We put up at Breteuil. and the next day got to 
Abbeville : whence we were forced, by the miserable 
accommodations we met with, to set out. though it was 
Sunday. Mr. Fletcher and I used to lead the way : but 
now the other chaises got before us. Xine miles from 
Abbeville, our axletree gave way through the hard frost, 
and we were both left to the piercing cold, on the side 
of a hill, without any shelter. After waiting an hour 
and a half we sent the axletree and wheels back to be 
repaired ; and leaving the body of the chaise under a 

28 



21S 



LIFE OE REV. J. FLE1 CHER. 



guard, procured another to carry us to the next town* 
On the i5th, our chaise arrived in good repair. Travel- 
ling steadily forward (though the country was all covered 
with snow) on the 27th we reached Dijon. During the 
whole journey, Mr. Fletcher showed visible marks of a 
recovery. He bore both the fatigue and piercing cold 
as well as the best of us. On the 31st we put up at 
Lyons, and solemnly closed the year, bowing our knees 
before the throne, which indeed we did not fail to do all 
together, every day. January 4, 1778, we left Lyons, 
and came on the 9th to Aix. Here we rest : the weather 
being exceeding fine and warm. Mr. Fletcher walks out 
daily. He is now able to read and to pray with us every 
morning and evening. He has no remains of his cough, 
nor of the weakness in his breast. His natural colour 
is restored, and the saliowness quite gone. His appetite 
is good, and he takes a little wine." 

16. In another letter Mr. Ireland writes thus : — " Soon 
after our arrival here, I rode out most days with my dear 
and valuable friend. He now and then complained of 
the uneasiness of the horse, and there were some re- 
mains of soreness in his breast. But this soon went off. 
The beginning of February was warm, and the warmth, 
when he walked in the fields, relaxed him too much. 
But when the wind got north or east he was braced 
again. His appetite is good: his complexion as healthy 
as it was eleven years ago. As his strength increases 
he increases the length of his rides. Last Tuesday he 
set out on a journey of a hundred and twelve miles. 
The first day he travelled forty miles without feeling 
any fatigue. The third day he travelled fifty-five : he 
bore his journey as well as I did ; and was as well and as 
active at the end of it as at the beginning. During the 
day he cried out, ' Help me to praise the Lord for his 
goodness : I never expected to see this day.' He now 
accepted a pressing invitation to preach to the Protest- 
ants here. He did so on Sunday morning on these 
words : Examine yourselves, whether ye he in the faith. 
For some days before, he was afraid he had done wrong 
in accepting the invitation. But, O, how shall I be 
able to express the power and liberty which the Lord 
gave him ! Both the French and English were greatly 
affected : the word went to the hearts both of saints and 



LIFE OF REV. J FLETCHER. 



219 



sinners. If the Lord continue his strength and voice 
(which is now as good as ever it was) he has an earnest 
invitation to preach where we are going, near Montpe- 
lier. You would be astonished at the entreaties of pas- 
tors as well as people. He has received a letter from a 
minister in the Levine mountains, who intends to come 
to Montpelier, sixty miles, to press him to go and preach 
to his flock. He purposes to spend the next summer in 
his own country, and the following winter in these parts, 
or in some part of the south of France." 

17. According to Mr. Wesley : — " When he had a 
little recovered his strength" (but whether at this time 
or afterward, during his stay on the continent, is very 
doubtful) "he made a tour though Italy, and paid a 
visit to Rome. While he was here, as Mr. Ireland and 
he were one day going through one of the streets in a 
coach, they were informed 'the pope was coming for- 
ward, and it would be required of them to come out of 
the coach and kneel while he went by, as all the people 
did ; if they did not, in all probability the zealous mob 
would fall upon them, and knock them on the head.' 
But this, whatever might be the consequence, they flatly 
refused to do ; judging the paying such honour to a man 
was neither better nor worse than idolatry. The coach- 
man was exceedingly terrified, not knowing what to do. 
However, at length he made a shift to turn aside into a 
narrow way. The pope was in an open landau. He 
waved his hands as if he had been swimming ; and fre- 
quently repeated these words, 6 God bless you all !' Mr. 
Fletcher's spirit was greatly stirred, and he longed to 
bear a public testimony against antichrist. And he would 
undoubtedly have done it had he been able to speak 
Italian. He could hardly refrain from doing it in Latin, 
till he considered that only the priests could have under- 
stood him. One to whom he related this, saying, 4 If you 
had done this the multitude would have torn you in pieces :' 
he answered, I believe the pope himself would have pre- 
vented it ; for he was a man of sense and humanity." 

18. While he was in the south of France, probably at 
Marseilles or Aix, and some time in the beginning of the 
spring, he wrote as follows to his curate, Mr. Greaves. 
As the letter is without date, the circumstances of time 
and place are rather uncertain :— 



220 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



"My Very Dear Brother, — I am in daily expect- 
ation of a line from you, to let me know how you do, 
and how it goes with our dear flock ; but I doubt whether 
I shall stay long enough here to receive your letter. I 
received one yesterday from my second brother, who 
acquaints me that he was to set out the 23d of last month, 
to come hither and take me to my native country, where 
my sick sister wants greatly to see me. If no accident 
has befallen him by the way, I think he will be here the 
latter end of this week, or the beginning of next ; so 
that, please God, I shall set out next week from this 
place, where the winter has been uncommonly rainy and 
windy. We had even half an inch of snow last week, 
but it was ffone long before noon. The climate has, 
nevertheless, agreed with me better than England, and 
as a proof of it I need only tell you that I rode last Fri- 
day from Hieres, the orange gardens of France, hither, 
which is near fifty miles, and was well enough to preach 
last Sunday in French, at the Protestant chapel. Two 
English clergymen came to hear me there, and one of 
them takes these lines to England, where I hope they 
will find you in health of body and soul, growing in 
strength of faith, in firmness of hope, and fervency of 
love to God and man, and especially to those whom you 
are tempted to think hardly of, if any such there be. 
O, my dear brother, no religion will, in the end, do us 
and our people any good, but that which 'works by 
love,' — humble, childlike, obedient love. May that re- 
ligion fill our souls, and influence all our tempers, words, 
and actions, and may the leaven leaven the whole lump : 
may St. James' peaceable religion spread through all 
our parish. Please, at the first convenient opportunity, 
to read the following note in the church : — - 

" John Fletcher sends his best Christian love to the 
congregation that worships God in the parish church at 
Madeley : he begs the continuance of their prayers for 
strength of body and mind, that he maybe able (if it be 
the will of God) to serve them again in the Gospel. He 
desires them to return almighty God thanks for having 
enabled him to speak again in public last Sunday, with- 
out having had a return of his spitting of blood, which 
he considers as a token that his life may be spared a 
little, to go and exhort them to grow in grace, in the 



LIFE OF REV. j , FLETCHER. 



221 



knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in brotherly 
love, the best marks that we know God, an& are in the 
faith of Christ. 

" I hope, my dear brother, you are settled to your 
satisfaction, and I shall be glad to do what is in my power 
to make your stay at Madeley agreeable. I hope you 
read sometimes, in the study, the copy of the exhortation 
given us by the ordinary, in which are these awful words : 
' Cease not from your labour, care, and diligence, till all 
those who are committed to your charge come to such 
a ripeness of age in Christ that there be no room left 
among 1 them for error in doctrine or viciousness in life.' 
I wish you may have as much success as we desire ; but 
whatever success we have, we must cast our bread upon 
the waters, though we should see as little fruit as he 
that said of old, 'I have laboured in vain:' for our re- 
ward will be with the Lord, if not with men." 

Soon after his brother conducted him from Montpelier 
to Nyon, the place of his nativity. Here he lived in that 
which was his father's house, in the midst of his affec- 
tionate relations, who took care that he should neither 
want the best advice, perhaps equal to any in Europe, 
nor any thing that could possibly contribute to the full 
recovery of his health. 

19. In a letter from thence to Mr. William Perronet, 
May 15, he observes : — " The climate, and prospect, and 
fine roads, and pure air I enjoy here, had contributed to 
strengthen me a little, when an accident I think has 
pulled me back. About a month ago, something I was 
chewing got into my windpipe, and caused a fit of cough- 
ing, with the greatest efforts of the lungs for half an hour. 
I then began to spit blood again, and ever since I have 
had a bad cough, which has sometimes exercised me 
violently for an hour after my first sleep. My cough, 
however, has been better again these two days, and I 
hope it will go off. I have bought a quiet horse, whose 
easy pace I can bear, and I ride much. Upon the whole, 
if my cough leave me I may yet recover my strength : 
but if it fix, it will probably be my last. The will of the 
Lord be done! I have not ventured upon preaching 
since I carne hither, It would be impossible for me now 
to go through it. If the weather should grow hot, I 
may at any time go to the hills, the foot of which is but 



222 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



five or six miles distant. I drink goats' milk, and have 
left off mfiat since the cough came on, but design eating 
a little again at dinner." 

20. It appears that Mr. Ireland either accompanied 
him to Nyon, in Switzerland, along with his brother, or 
afterward met him at Macon, in Burgundy, where Mr. 
Fletcher was on the 17th of this same month, and from 
whence he wrote to the Rev. John and Charles Wesley, 
and gave a farther account of the state of his health, and 
of the declension of religion, and the prevalence of infi- 
delity in France. His letter is peculiarly worthy of a 
place in the memoirs of his life, as containing, may I 
not say, an evident prediction of events which have since 
taken place? It is as follows : — 

" Rev. and Dear Sirs, — I hope that while I lie by, 
like a broken vessel, the Lord continues to renew your 
vigour, and sends you to water his vineyard, and to stand 
in the gap against error and vice. I have recovered 
some strength, blessed be God, since I came to the con 
tinent ; but have lately had another attack of my old 
complaints. However, I find myself better again, though 
I think it yet advisable not to speak in public. 

" I preached twice at Marseilles, but was not permitted 
to follow the blow. There are few noble, inquisitive 
Bereans in these parts. The ministers in the town of 
my nativity have been very civil. They have offered 
me the pulpit ; but I fear, if I could accept the offer, it 
would be soon recalled. I am loath to quit this part of 
the field without casting a stone at that giant, sin, who 
stalks about with uncommon boldness. I shall, there- 
fore, stay some months longer, to see if the Lord will 
please to give me a little more strength to venture an 
attack. 

" Gaming and dress, sinful pleasure and love of 
money, unbelief and false philosophy, lightness of spirit, 
fear of man, and love of the world, are the principal 
sins by which Satan binds his captives in these parts. 
Materialism is not rare ; Deism and Socinianism are very 
common ; and a set of freethinkers, great admirers of 
Voltaire and Rousseau, Bayle and Mirabeau, seem bent 
upon destroying Christianity and government. 4 With 
one hand (said a lawyer, who has written something 
against them) they shake the throne, and with the other 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



223 



they throw down the altars.' If we believe them, the 
world is the dupe of kings and priests. Religion is 
fanaticism and superstition. Subordination is slavery 
and tyranny. Christian morality is absurd, unnatural, 
and impracticable ; and Christianity the most bloody 
religion that ever was. And here, it is certain, that by 
the example of Christians, so called, and by our conti- 
nual disputes, they have a great advantage, and do the 
truth immense mischief. Popery will certainly fall in 
France, in this or the next century; and I make no 
doubt, God will use these vain men to bring about a 
reformation here, as he used Henry VIII. to do that work 
in England : so the madness of his enemies shall, at 
last, turn to his praise, and to the fartherance of his 
kingdom. 

" In the meantime it becomes all lovers of the truth 
to make their heavenly tempers, and humble, peaceful 
love, to shine before all men, that those mighty adver- 
saries, seeing the good works of professors, may glorify 
their Father who is in heaven, and no more blaspheme 
that worthy name by which we are called Christians ! 

" If you ask what system these men adopt ? I answer, 
that some build on Deism a morality founded on self- 
preservation, self interest, and self-honour. Others 
laugh at all morality, except that the neglect of which 
violently disturbs society ; and external order is the 
decent covering of Fatalism, while Materialism is their 
system. 

" O, dear sirs, let me entreat you, in these dangerous 
days, to use your wide influence, with unabated zeal, 
against the scheme of these modern Celsuses, Porphyries, 
and Julians ; by calling all professors to think and speak 
the same things, to love and embrace one another, and 
to stand firmly embodied to resist those daring men ; 
many of whom are already in England, headed by the 
admirers of Mr. Hume and Mr. Hobbes. But it is need- 
less to say this to those who have made, and continue 
to make such a stand for vital Christianity ; so that I 
have nothing to do but pray that the Lord would abun- 
dantly support and % strengthen you to the last, and make 
you a continued comfort to his enlightened people, lov- 
ing reprovers of those who might mix light and dark- 
ness, and a terror to the perverse ; and this is the cor- 



224 LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 

dial prayer of, Rev. and dear sirs, your affectionate son, 
and obliged servant in the Gospel, J. F." 

"P. S. I need not tell you, sirs, that the hour in which 
Providence shall make my way plain to return to Eng- 
land, to unite with the happy number of those who feel 
or seek the power of Christian godliness, will be wel- 
come to me. O favoured Britons ! Happy would it be 
for them if they knew their Gospel privileges ! My rela- 
tions in Adam are all very kind to me ; but the spiritual 
relations, whom God has raised me in England, exceed 
them yet. Thanks be to Christ, and to his blasphemed 
religion !" 

21. In a letter to Dr. Conyers, written from the same 
place, the day following, in which he mentions having 
sent him his tract, called The Reconciliation, and urges 
him to labour to promote peace and unanimity among 
the disciples of Christ, he adds, concerning the French 
infidels, " If you saw with what boldness the false phi- 
losophers of the continent, who are the apostles of the 
age, attack Christianity, and represent it as one of the 
vvorst religions in the world, and fit only to make the 
professors of it murder one another, or at least to con- 
tend among themselves ; and how they urge our 
disputes to make the Gospel of Christ the jest of 
nations, and the abhorrence of all flesh; you would 
break through your natural timidity, and invite all our 
brethren in the ministry to do what the herds do on the 
Swiss mountains, when wolves attack them ; instead of 
goring one another, they unite, and form a close batta- 
lion, and face the common enemy on all sides. What a 
shame would it be, if cows and bulls showed more pru- 
dence, and more regard for union, than Christians and 
Gospel ministers !" 

22. Here he took leave of Mr. Ireland, and, in order 
to shorten his journey back to Nyon and enjoy new 
prospects, ventured to cross the mountains which sepa- 
rate France from Switzerland. This was of bad conse- 
quence. For "on the third day of the journey," says 
he, " I found an unexpected trial : a large hill, whose 
winding roads were so steep, that*though we fed the 
horses with bread and wine, they could scarcely draw 
the chaise, obliged me to walk in all the s f eepest places. 
The climbing lasted several hours, the sun was hot, I 



LIFE OE REV. J. FLETCHER. 



225 



perspired violently, and the next day I spit blood again. 
I have chiefly kept to goats' milk ever since, and hope 1 
shall get over this death also, because I find myself, 
blessed be God, better again, and my cough is neither 
frequent nor violent." 

23. In the former part of this year, (1778,) a letter 
was written to the Rev. Mr. Perronet, informing him 
that there was a valuable estate at his native place, which 
properly belonged to him, and which might easily be 
recovered, if he sent one of his sons to claim it. All 
his friends, whom he consulted on the occasion, judged 
this information was not to be slighted. And his 
youngest son, Mr. William Perronet, the surgeon and 
apothecary, frequently mentioned above, was willing to 
undertake the journey. But before he set out he wrote 
to Mr. Fletcher, desiring his advice. Part of his answer 
was as follows : — 

"Nyon, June 2, 1778. 

" While I write to you to make your title clear to a 
precarious estate on earth, permit me to remind you of 
the heavenly inheritance entailed upon believers. The 
will (the New Testament) by which we can recover it, 
is proved ; the court is equitable ; the Judge loving and 
gracious. To enter on the possession of part of the 
estate here, and of the whole hereafter, we need only 
to believe, and prove, evangelically, that we are believ- 
ers. Let us set about it now with earnestness, with 
perseverance, and with full assurance, that through faith 
we shall infallibly carry our cause. Alas ! what are 
estates or crowns, to grace and glory? The Lord grant 
that we, and all our friends, may choose the better part, 
which your brother, my dear friend, so happily chose. 
And may we firmly stand to the choice, as he did, to the 
last. My best respects wait upon your dear father, your 
sisters, and nieces. God reward your kindness to me 
upon them all ! 

" This is a delightful country. If you come to see it, 
and claim the estate, bring all the papers and memorials 
your father can collect, and come to share, a pleasant 
apartment, and one of the finest prospects in the world, 
in the house where I was born. I design to try this fine 
air some months longer. We have a fine shady wood 
near the lake, where I can ride in the cool all the day 

29 



226 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



and enjoy the singing of a multitude of birds. But this, 
though sweet, does not come up to the singing of my 
dear friends in England. There I meet them in spi- 
rit several hours in the day. God bless my dear 
friends." 

A little after this he says to another friend: — 44 The 
birds of my fine wood have almost done singing ; but I 
have met with a parcel of children, whose hearts seem 
turned toward singing the praises of God, and we sing 
every day from four to five. Help us by your prayers. 
One of them received, I hope, the love of Christ this 
week." 

About the same time he wrote to Dr. Turner, as fol- 
lows :— 

" Should I gather strength, I should, under God, ac- 
knowledge you, dear sir, as the instrument of that bless- 
ing, as you were above twenty years ago. Ten thou- 
sand thanks I render to you, sir, and to Mr. Perronet, 
for your kind and generous care and attendance. May 
God reward you both by bestowing upon you all the 
blessings which can make life happy, death comfortable, 
and eternity delightful and glorious ! May the richest 
cordials of Divine love, and the balm of Gilead, a Sa- 
viour's precious blood, revive your souls and comfort 
your hearts ! And in your every want and extremity, 
may you both find such tender helpers and comforters 
as have been found in you by, dear sir, your most oblig 
ed, though unworthy patient and servant, J. F." 

24. It appears by a letter of his to Mr. Ireland, dated 
July 15, that he continued to recover, and that he failed 
not to use his strength as fast as he gained it. "I have 
ventured," says he, 44 to preach once, and to expound 
once in the church. Our ministers are very kind, and 
preach to the purpose : a young one of this town gave 
us lately a very excellent Gospel sermon. Grown up 
people stand fast in their stupidity, or in their self-right- 
eousness. The day I preached I met with some children 
in my wood, walking or gathering strawberries. I spoke 
to them about our Father, our common Father. We felt 
a touch of brotherly affection. They said they would 
sing to their Father as well as the birds; and followed 
me ; attempting to make such melody as you know is 
commonly made in these parts. I outrode them, but 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



227 



some of them had the patience to follow me home, and 
said they would speak with me ; but the people of the 
house stopped them, saying, I would not be troubled 
with children. They cried, and said, They were sure 
I would not say so, for I was their good brother. The 
next day when I heard it, I inquired after them, arid 
invited them to come to me ; which they have done 
every day since. I make them little hymns, which they 
sing. Some of them are under sweet drawings. Yes- 
terday I wept for joy on hearing one of them speak of 
conviction of sin, and joy unspeakable in Christ which 
had followed, as an experienced believer would do in 
Bristol. Last Sunday I met them in the wood ; there 
were one hundred of them, and as many adults. Our 
first pastor has since desired me to desist from preach- 
ing in the wood (for I had exhorted) for fear of giving 
umbrage ; and I have complied from a concurrence of 
circumstances which are not worth mentioning : I there- 
fore meet them in my father's yard. 

" In one of my letters I promised you some anecdotes 
concerning the death of our two great philosophers, Vol- 
taire and Rousseau. Mr. Tronchin, the physician of the 
duke of Orleans, being sent for to attend Yoltaire in his 
illness at Paris, Yoltaire said to him, ' Sir, I desire you 
would save my life ; I will give you the half of my for- 
tune if you will lengthen out my days only for six months. 
If not, I shall go to the devil, and shall carry you away 
along with me.' 

" Rousseau died more decently, as full of himself as 
Yoltaire was of the wicked one. He paid that attention 
to nature and the natural sun which the Christian pays 
to grace and the Sun of righteousness. These were 
some of his last words to his wife, which I copy from a 
printed letter circulating in these parts : ' Open the win- 
dow that I may see the green fields once more. How 
beautiful is nature ! How wonderful is the sun ! See 
what glorious light it sends forth ! It is God who calls 
me. How pleasing is death to a man who is not conscious 
of any sin ! O God ! my soul is now as pure as when 
it first camje out of thy hands : crown it with thy hea- 
venly bliss !' God deliver us from self and Satan, the 
internal and the external fiend. The Lord forbid we 
should fall into the snare of the Sadducees, with the 



228 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



former of these two famous men, or into that of the 
Pharisees with the latter. Farewell in Jesus. 

" X F." 

25. We may infer, I think, from these, and divers 
other extracts of letters which appear in this work, 
under Mr. Fletcher's own hand, that the following ac- 
count by Mr. Gilpin is perfectly correct : — " As during 
Mr. Fletcher's abode in England, his attachment to his 
absent countrymen was daily expressed in fervent prayer, 
and frequently in affectionate epistles addressed to those 
among them whose situation and abilities might have 
rendered them eminently useful to the Church : so when 
present with them, his affectionate concern for their 
happiness was evinced by the most indefatigable exer- 
tions for their advancement in religion and virtue. 
When he was, to all appearance, in dying circum- 
stances, even in those seasons, the entreaties of friends, 
the advice of physicians, together with his bodily infir- 
mities, were found insufficient to restrain him from the 
exercise of his ministry. His manner of employing 
himself among them is modestly expressed in an apolog} 
which he once thought it necessary to make for his con 
duct upon those occasions ; from which the following 
passage is extracted : — 4 Afflicted with a dangerous dis- 
ease, and obliged to. intrust the care of my Church to a 
substitute, with the permission of my superiors, I came 
to this place on a visit to my kinsmen ; and especially 
for the purpose of breathing my native air, which the 
physicians, after having already exhausted their art in 
my favour, considered as the last remedy that remained 
to be tried with any hope of success. Upon my arrival 
the pastors of Nyon, to the first of whom I have had 
the honour of being known for these six and thirty years, 
obligingly offered me the use of their pulpits, if my health 
should permit me to preach. But after appointing- dif- 
ferent days, on which I hoped to have taken the advan- 
tage of their friendly oners, by repeated returns of my 
weakness, I was prevented from fulfilling my engage- 
ments. I have, however, preached three or four times : 
but observing in myself, during those exercises, a want 
of strength to occupy the pulpit with that power and 
dignity which are expected in a preacher who appears 
before a polished audience. I considered it rather as my 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



229 



duty, with the permission, and under the inspection of 
our pastors, without ascending the pulpit, to give some 
familiar instructions to such children and others as were 
disposed to receive them ; offering in a room from time 
to time occasional reflections, either upon some book 
of piety or some passage of Holy Scripture.' Such 
were his customary employments during his residence 
at Nyon. And to these pious exercises he devoted his 
remaining strength with that assiduity and perseverance 
which abundantly manifested how little he regarded 
either ease or health when they came in competition 
with the advantage and welfare of his countrymen." 

26. But while he engaged himself with so much zeal 
in the service of his countrymen at large, among his 
kinsmen and friends, his benevolent labours were still 
more abundant. He expressed the most vehement de- 
sires, and employed the most strenuous efforts that the 
whole circle of his friends might become a people " fear- 
ing God, and working righteousness." He admonished 
them with the authority of a minister, and entreated them 
wi„h the gentleness of a brother, mixing both his admo- 
nitions and entreaties with many affectionate tears. 
When he perceived in any of them an inclination to 
linger, either in the darkness of Deism, or in the mazes 
of dissipation, like the deliverers of Lot, he would stretch 
out his hand, and endeavour, with a pious violence, to 
rescue them from the dangers to which they were ex- 
posed. And, on the other hand, when he discovered in 
any of his friends the least discernible tokens either of 
godly sorrow or of holy desire, he would give a loose 
to the fervours of that holy joy which is manifested on 
similar occasions in the presence of the angels of God. 

27. " But, perhaps, it is impossible to give any just 
idea of the extraordinary concern he expressed for the 
establishment of his near relations in the faith of the 
Gospel, except in his own words. The following pas- 
sages, translated from an epistle which he formerly 
addressed to his brother, the assessor, will set this ami- 
able part of his disposition in a just point of view. After 
lamenting that he had passed so great a part of his own 
life in the vain pursuits of the world, he continues, — 4 And 
are you not constrained, my dear brother, to make the 
same lamentations with me ? Yes. I cannot but indulge 



230 



LIFE OF R£V. J. FLETCHER. 



a hope that God will hear my prayers, that he will have 
some regard to the tears with which I wet this paper, 
and that, while you are reading these lines, his grace 
will operate upon your heart. If you did but know 
how much joy there would be in heaven for your con- 
version ; if you could but conceive what transports of 
gratitude would overflow your heart and mine ; if you 
were but sensible how my bowels are moved for you ; 
surely then, without a moment's delay, you would sub- 
mit to the grace of that Saviour who is even now speak- 
ing in your heart. And can you still hold out, my dear 
brother I And are you so entire an enemy to your own 
happiness, so insensible, so hard, as to decline making 
a full surrender of yourself to God ? I will hope better 
things of you, through the grace of our common Sa- 
viour. O may that grace overwhelm thy heart, and melt 
down ail thy hardness ! As we are of one blood, let us 
also be of one heart and one soul. Do not reject, I con- 
jure you, my brotherly counsels and supplications. Do 
not refuse to come where so much felicity awaits you, 
because pressed to it by a person who is unworthy to 
bring you the invitation. We have passed our infancy 
and our youth beneath the same roof, and under the same 
masters. We have borne the same fatigues, and tasted 
the same pleasures. Why then should we be separated 
now 1 Why should they be divided who, by nature, 
habit, and friendship, have been so long united? I have 
undertaken a journey to the New Jerusalem : O suffer 
me not to go thither alone. Let neither the fatigues 
nor the length of the way affright you. We shall be 
provided, even in the desert, w T ith heavenly manna and 
streams of living water. God himself shall go before 
us as in a pillar of fire, and, under the protection of his 
wings, we may walk without fear, through the valley 
of the shadow of death. Come, then, my dear brother! 
I am most unwilling to leave you behind. Come ; sup- 
port me ; go before me ; encourage me ; show me the 
way ; I feel the want of a faithful companion and a 
Christian friend. Suffer me to throw myself at your 
feet, to embrace your knees, and to wash them with the 
tears which are now streaming from my eyes. I ask 
no part of your temporal possessions : but I entreat you 
to seek after an eternal inheritance. I desire neither 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



231 



your gold nor your silver : but I am anxious that you 
should share my joy. I am solicitous that you should 
accompany me to Mount Zion, to the city of the living 
God ; — that you should mix in that innumerable com-- 
pany of angels who worship there, and be counted in 
the general assembly and Church of the first-born. In 
short, I am anxious, my dear brother, that you should 
come with me, to have your name written in the book 
of life, and be made free of that holy city which shall 
one day descend from God out of heaven. I have a 
presentiment that you will, at last, submit to the easy 
yoke of Christ, and that, after you are converted, you 
will strengthen your brethren. Do not tell me again 
that* piety is usually the portion of younger brothers, 
since I read, in the Old Testament, that every first-born 
male should be consecrated, in a peculiar manner, to 
God. Let me rather entreat you to take the advantage 
of your situation. Be at least as far beyond me in piety 
as you are in years ; and, instead of feeling any jealousy 
upon this account, my pleasure will be augmented in the 
great day of our Lord Jesus Christ, to see myself placed 
at your feet.' ,J 

These quotations may serve as a specimen of the 
manner in which Mr. Fletcher was accustomed to ex- 
press his ardent desire, in different degrees, for the spi- 
ritual prosperity of his countrymen, his friends, and his 
brethren. 

28. In the meantime, while Mr. Fletcher was thus 
labouring, even beyond his strength, according to the 
opportunity afforded him, to be useful to his own coun- 
trymen, he was not unmindful of his dear flock at Made- 
ley. In a letter written about this time, among other 
important observations and advices, he says: — "I am 
yet in the land of the living, to prepare, with you, for 
the land where there is life without death, praising with- 
out weariness of the flesh, and loving without separa- 
tion. There I once more challenge you to meet me, 
with all the mind that was in Christ ; and may not one 
hoof be left behind ! May there not be found one Demas 
among you, turning aside from the little flock and the 
narrow way, to love and follow this present, perishing 
world. May there not be one Esau, who, for a frivolous 
gratification, sold his birthright; nor another wife of 



232 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



Lot, who looked back for the good things of the city of 
Destruction, and was punished by a judgment almost as 
fearful as that of Ananias, Sapphira, and Judas. My 
dear companions, let us be consistent ; let us seek first 
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all othei 
things, upon your diligent, frugal, secondary endea- 
vours, shall be added unto you. Let us live daily, more 
and more, upon the free love of our gracious Creator 
and Preserver, the grace and righteousness of our aton- 
ing Redeemer and Mediator, nor let us stop short of the 
powerful joyous influence of our Comforter and Sancti- 
fier. 

" Bear me on your hearts, as I do you upon mine : 
and meet we all in the heart of Christ, who is the centre 
of our union, and our common head ; humbly leaving it 
to him when and where we shall meet again. Farewell 
in Christ till we meet in the flesh around his table, or in 
the spirit around his throne. I am your afflicted, com 
forted brother, J. F." 

July 18, he writes also to the Rev. Mr. Greaves, in- 
trusted with the oversight of them, and observes — " I 
trust you lay yourself out in length and breadth for the 
good of the flock committed to your care. I should be 
glad to hear that all the flock grow in grace, and that the 
little flock (those united in Christian fellowship) grow 
in humble love. 

" Be pleased to read the following note in the church : 
4 John Fletcher begs a farther interest in the prayers of 
the congregation of Madeley ; and desires those who 
assemble to serve God in the church, to help him to 
return public thanks to almighty God for many mercies 
received ; especially for being able to do every day a 
little ministerial duty, which he considers as an earnest 
of the strength he should be glad to have, to come back 
soon, and serve them in the Gospel ; which he designs 
to do, please God, in some months. In the meantime 
he beseeches them to serve God as Christians, and to 
love one another as brethren ; neglecting no means of 
grace, and rejoicing in all the hopes of glory.' 

" I hope, my dear brother, that you remember my 
request to you, in my letter from Dover ; and that you 
are glad of every possible help to do the people good. 
The harvest is great, the labourers are but comparatively 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



233 



few. Pray the Lord to send more labourers into his 
harvest ; and rejoice when he sends us any who will 
help us to break up the fallow ground. My love to all 
our kind neighbours, and to the preachers, whom I beg 
you will thank in my name. 

" Be pleased, when you have an opportunity, to read 
the following note to the societies at Madeley, Dawley, 
and the Banks : — 

'My Dear Brethren, — I hope you have no need of 
a line to assure you of the continuance of my brotherly 
love for you. We are called to grow in grace, and, con- 
sequently, in love, which is the greatest of all Christian 
graces. Your prayers for my soul and my body have 
not been without answer. Blessed be God ! glory be to 
his rich mercy in Christ, I live yet the life of faith; and 
as to my body, I recover some strength ; which rejoices 
me the more, as I hope a good Providence will make way 
for my laying it out, in inviting you to leave the things 
which are behind, and to press, with earnestness, unity, 
and patience, toward the mark of our heavenly calling 
in Christ. God bless you all, with all the blessings 
brought to the Church by Christ Jesus, and by the other 
Comforter ! Fare ye all well in Jesus ; and remember, 
at the throne of grace, your affectionate brother and 
servant in Christ, J. F.' " 

29. Mr. Fletcher's recovery, however, was but very 
slow. On the 15th of September following, we find him 
acknowledging that he had " still very trying, feverish 
nights, and nothing but forced evacuations." He adds, 
however, " I am kept in peace of mind, resigned to God's 
will, who afflicts me for my good, and justly sets me 
aside for my unprofitableness. Well, though I am a 
bruised vessel, yet I rest on him. He does not break 
me ; yea, he comforts me on every side. His grace 
within, and his people without, turn my trying circum- 
stances into matter of praise." The reader will easily 
believe that, although he speaks thus, he was very far 
from being laid aside for his unprofitableness as a broken 
vessel. The very same day in which he uses that lan- 
guage he writes as follows to Mr. Ireland : — 

" My Very Dear Friend, — I am just returned from 
an excursion I made with my brother through the fine 
vale in the midst of the high hills which divide France 

30 



234 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



from this country. In that rale we found three lakes, 
one on French ground, and two on Swiss ; the largest 
is six miles long and two wide. It is the part of the 
country where industry is most apparent, and where po 
pulation thrives best. The inhabitants are chiefly wood- 
men, coopers, watch-makers, and jewellers. They told 
me they had the best singing and the best preacher in 
the country. I asked if any sinners were converted 
under his ministry I They stared, and asked what I 
meant by conversion ? When I had explained myself, 
they said, ' We do not live in the time of miracles.' 

" I was better satisfied in passing through a part of the 
vale which belongs to the king of France. I saw a pro- 
digious concourse of people, and supposed they kept a 
fair, but was agreeably surprised to rind three mission- 
aries, who went about as itinerant preachers to help the 
regular clergy. They had been there already some days, 
and were three brothers, who preached morning and 
evening. The evening service opened by what they 
called a conference. One of the missionaries took the 
pulpit, and the parish priest proposed questions to him, 
which he answered at full length, and in a very edifying 
manner. The subject was the unlawfulness and the 
mischief of those methods by which persons of different 
sexes lay snares for each other, and corrupt each other's 
morals. The subject was treated with delicacy, pro- 
priety, and truth. The method was admirably well cal- 
culated to draw and fix the attention of a mixed multi- 
tude. This conference being ended, another missionary 
took the pulpit. His text was our Lord's description 
of the day of judgment. Before the sermon all those 
who for the press could kneel, did, and sung a French 
hymn, to beg a blessing upon the word: and indeed it 
was blessed. An awful attention was visible upon most, 
and for a good part of the discourse, the voice of the 
preacher was almost lost in the cries and bitter wailings 
of the audience. When the outcry began, the preacher 
was describing the departure of the wicked into eternal 
fire. They urged that God was merciful, and that Jesus 
Christ had shed his blood for them. 1 But that mercy 
you have slighted, (replies the Judge,) and now is the 
time of justice ; that blood you have trodden under foot, 
and now it cries for vengeance. Know your day, — 



IIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



235 



slight the Fathers mercy and the Son's blood no longer. 
I have been seen but once or twice congregations as 
much affected in England. 

" One of our ministers being ill, I ventured a second 
time into the pulpit last Sunday ; and the Sunday before 
I preached six miles off to two thousand people in a 
jail yard, where they were come to see a poor murderer 
two days before his execution. I was a little abused by 
the bailiff on the occasion, and refused the liberty of 
attending the poor man to the scaffold, where he was to 
be broken on the wheel. I hope he died penitent. The 
day before he suffered, he said he had broken his irons, 
and that, as he deserved to die, he desired new ones to 
be put on, lest he should be tempted to make his escape 
a second time. 

" You ask what I design to do ? I propose, if it be 
the Lord's will, to spend the winter here, to bear my 
testimony against the trade of my countrymen. 

" In the spring I shall, *if nothing prevent, return to 
England, with you, or with Mr. Perronet, if his affairs 
are settled, or alone, if other ways fail. In the mean- 
time I rejoice with you in Jesus, and in the glorious 
hope of that complete salvation his faithfulness has 
promised, and his power can never be at a loss to be- 
stow. We must be saved by faith and hope, till we are 
saved by perfect love, and made partakers of heavenly 
glory. 

" I am truly a stranger here. Well, then, as strangers, 
let us go where we shall meet the assembly of the right- 
eous, gathered in Jesus. Farewell in him, you and 
yours, J. F." 

30. In the latter end of the year Mr. W r illiam Perronet 
set out for Switzerland. After a fatiguing journey, as 
he writes to his father, he arrived at Nyon, December 
11th, and had the pleasure of finding Mr. Fletcher " in 
pretty good health, save some little weakness, and an 
inflammation in his eyes." In a letter he wrote from 
thence to Mr. Greenwood, he gives the following farther 
account of Mr. Fletcher. 

There is something in the beginning of his letter which 
is a little humorous ; but this the candid reader will easily 
excuse. It runs thus :— 

"Dear Sir, — As you desire of me to send you some 



236 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



account of my journey, now I am a little settled, I will 
do it in the best manner I am able. 

" I set out from London on Tuesday, November the 
17th. We arrived at Dover about three on Wednesday 
morning ; embarked on Thursday ; and arrived at Calais 
in about three hours. 

" Though it was in war time, yet we did not meet 
with the least incivility, either here or in any part of 
France. But the badness of the inns makes the travel- 
ling through this country disagreeable. The rooms in 
general are so dirty as to be fitter for swine than men. 
Each room, both above and below stairs, is provided 
with two, three, or four beds, and they are so high as 
to require steps to get up to them. For there is on each 
bed, first, a monstrous canvass bag stuffed with a huge 
quantity of straw ; over this a feather bed, and on this 
as many mattresses as the host can furnish. But the 
worst is, the sheets are not damp, but rather downright 
wet. Yet the good woman *would constantly scold us 
if we attempted to dry them, even at our own fire ; in- 
sisting upon it that it was impossible they should be 
damp at all. 

" At table every one is furnished with a spoon and a 
fork, but with no knives. And in general they are not 
needful : for both flesh and vegetables are so stewed 
down as to be properly termed spoon meat. However, 
at the meanest inn every one is provided with a clean 
napkin : and both after dinner and after supper there is 
a fine dessert of fruit. 

" We travelled early and late : yet having but one set 
of horses, we were a whole week in getting to Paris. In 
Paris all is gayety and finery: but without the least idea 
of neatness. The scarcity of water is one excuse for the 
general want of cleanliness, both in their persons and 
houses. 

" On Tuesday, December 8th, we dined at Portallier; 
the prettiest town in all France. The reason of which 
is, being burned down some years ago, it was rebuilt by 
the late king. The next morning we entered Switzer- 
land, stepping over a brook, which divides Switzerland 
from France. On the French side of the brook is a 
cross ; on the other a pillar with the arms of Switzer- 
land. In the evening we arrived at Lausanne, a famous 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



237 



old town. Here I remained the next day, and on Fri- 
day, the 11th, went on to Nyon, where I had the plea- 
sure of finding our dear friend in pretty good health 
and spirits. Mr. Fletcher's house is a fine large build- 
ing, agreeably situated. It is in the form of a castle, 
and is supposed to have besn built five hundred years 
ago. 

" In passing through France, how bitterly did I regret 
the want of the Sunday service ! And it was not much 
better with me when I came into Switzerland. For I 
understood so little of their language that I could not 
profit much by the public service. Indeed this loss is in 
some measure made up by the company and conversa- 
tion of Mr. Fletcher ; who, however engaged he is the 
greater part of the day, is generally so kind as to spend 
a little time with me in the evening in prayer and con- 
versation. 

" His chief delight seems to be in meeting his little 
society of children. And as he is exceeding fond of 
them, they appear to be altogether as fond of him. He 
seldom either walks abroad or rides out, but some of 
them follow him; singing the hymns they have learned, 
and conversing with him by the way. But you must 
not suppose that he is permitted to enjoy this happiness 
unmolested. Not only the drunkards make songs on 
him and his little companions, but many of the clergy 
loudly complain of such irregular proceedings. How- 
ever, he is upon good terms with the three ministers of 
the place ; all of whom are not only serious men, but 
desirous of promoting true religion." 

31. In another letter, dated December 31st, 1778, he 
says, "Mr. Fletcher is better, I think, than when he left 
England, but he frequently puts his strength to too 
severe a trial, by meeting his little society, composed 
of children, and some grown persons : his frequent con- 
ferences with one or two serious ministers in this parish, 
and other exercises of a like nature ; and as soon as 
ever he ventures to preach, his spitting of blood returns. 
He has had a return of it once or twice since I have 
been here. Whenever this happens, his strength and 
spirits decay surprisingly ; w T hich he cannot in any wise 
recover but by lying by for some days." 

In the same letter he observes, " Mr. Fletcher has 



238 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



taken the pains to translate all my papers into French, 
and his brother, who is a sensible worthy man, has as- 
sisted in that, and in consulting with the lawyers, and 
last of all, in drawing up a clear statement of the case, 
which he proposed laying before those gentlemen at 
Geneva who have taken possession of the estates. Yes- 
terday we all set out on this business to Chateau d'Oex, 
(the birthplace of the Rev. Mr, Perronet's father.) which 
is fifty-seven miles from hence. (Xyon.) and situated in 
the midst of the mountains : but before we got sixteen 
miles, the horses were quite tired out, and the coachman, 
(for we are obliged to make all our journeys in a car 
riag-e. on account of the severity of the weather,) abso- 
lutely refused to proceed any farther : so we rested a1 
Morges, and returned home next day." 

32. A few days after, however, they attempted to reach 
that place again, and succeeded. The following descrip- 
tion of their journey, given by the same intelligent and 
pious person, in a letter to his father. I doubt not. will 
be highly acceptable to the reader. 

" Chateau d'Oex. Jan. 11. 1779. 

"Honoured and Dear Sir. — In my last letter I 
mentioned our intended journey to this place, where we 
arrived yesterday, through the good providence of God, 
without having met with any material accident. Xeither 
Mr. Fletcher, nor Mr. Monod. (the lawyer.) whom we 
took with us, had ever before visited this northern region 
of their own country, so that the journey was as new to 
them as to myself. It was no easy matter, at this sea- 
son, to procure a guide : however, at last we agreed 
with one. and out we all set. (on the 7th of this month.) 
on a journey of near eighty miles across the Alps, (be- 
ing obliged to go some leagues about, on account of the 
badness of the ways,) passing in a coach over mountains 
of snow and rocks of ice : till we came within nine miles 
of the place, when we were obliged to get into an open 
sledge, on account of the difficulty and danger attending 
the road. And now we travelled through narrow passes, 
cut through the snow, (which was many feet above our 
heads,) on the sides of the mountains, whose summits * 
the eye could scarce reach; and frequently on the very 
brink of precipices, at the bottom of which we could 
hear the waters roar like thunder, and could see it in 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



239 



«ome places rushing down the sides in torrents, and 
forming in its passage vast pillars of ice among the 
rocks. Here we were shown the place where a coach 
bad lately fallen down ; and a little farther, the spot 
where a native of Chateau d'Oex, but a few days before 
was murdered, and then thrown down the precipice. 
We arrived at length at the town, where all the houses 
are built of wood within and without, roofs, ceilings, 
chimneys, and all ; i. e., the enormous kitchen chimneys, 
for they have no other in any of their houses here. These 
being the whole size of the room, run up to a vast 
height, in the form of a steeple, with a number of cross 
bars, hung full of hams, tongues, &c. On the fronts of 
all the houses are carved, in large letters, the names of 
the persons who built them, the date, and some moral 
or religious sentence, with a prayer that the inhabitants 
may be preserved from pestilence, <kc. 

"The town is situated on a small spot, amid huge 
rocks and mountains piled one on the other, the heads 
of many of which are often hid among the clouds. The 
slopes are beautifully adorned with lofty pines, while 
the enormous sides of others are naked, craggy, and 
almost perpendicular. In the clefts and chasms of these, 
ten thousand such buildings as St. Paul's church might 
be placed, and would appear but as so many trifling or- 
naments. For here all the works of nature, or rather 
of the God of nature, are terribly magnificent ; so that 
iu viewing them, one cannot but admire and tremble at 
the same instant. 

"Nyon, Jan. 18. We stayed at Chateau d'Oex two 
days, when, having finished the business we went upon, 
we set out and arrived here last Friday, not much the 
worse for this uncomfortable and even dangerous jour- 
ney ; however, both Mr. Fletcher and myself got a fall 
on the ice, in going to Chateau d'Oex, when we had left 
the sledge ; for in some places it is reckoned safer to 
walk than to ride, even in the sledge. Mr. Fletcher 
received a violent blow on the back part of his head, 
while I only sprained my wrist : to this, I may add, that 
in crossing the Alps, we lay two nights in beds that were 
not only damp, but quite musty, and without curtains. 
However, we had our own sheets, and so received no 
lasting injury. But being at this time in a popish can- 



240 LIFE UF REV, J. FLETCHER. 

ton, and Friday and Saturday being meagre days, we 
were almost starved with hunger as well as cold. 

" The weather here is extremely severe ; it is scarce 
in the power of clothes, or even fire, to keep one warm : 
and the wolves begin to leave the forests, and to prowl 
about the towns and villages. Two of them, Mr. 
Fletcher tells me, were seen near this town the other 
day, one of which was killed by the country people. 

" Whether I succeed in my temporal business or not, 
I shall ever remember, with pleasure and thankfulness, 
the opportunities I have been blessed with of spending 
so much time in company with our inestimable friend, 
who. wherever he goes, preaches the Gospel, both b\ 
his words and example : nay, by his very looks, not only 
to his friends, but to all he meets with. So that on the 
top of the frozen Alps, and in the dreary vale of Cha- 
teau d'Oex, some good seed has been sown. 

44 And here also he was visited by some of the principal 
inhabitants of the town : who stood around him in deep 
attention for almost an hour, while he both exhorted and 
prayed. I am. dear sir, your very sincere friend and 
servant. William Perroxetv' 

Mr. Fletcher adds upon the paper on which the for- 
mer letter is written. "Thanks to our kind Preserver, I 
am yet in the land of faith and hope, and want to find 
and make it a land of happiness and love. The Lord 
Jesus is alone sufficient for this. And till the great out- 
pouring of his love be come, we ought faithfully to stir 
up the gift of God which is in ourselves and others, and 
to supply, by the depth of our humility, and the ardour 
of our expectation, what is yet wanting to our experi- 
ence. Well, God is £Ood. Jesus is faithful, the Spirit is 
truth and love. Come, Lord ! and we shall experience 
the power of that God who turns death to life, darkness 
to light, weakness to strength : and calleth the tilings 
that are not as though they were" 

33. Feb. 2. He gives the following account of the 
state of his health, and of his proceedings, to Mr. Ire- 
land : — " I am better, thank God, and ride out every day 
when the slippery roads will permit me to venture with- 
out the risk of breaking my horse's legs and my own 
neck. You will ask me how I have spent my time ? I 
answer, I pray, have patience, rejoice, and write when I 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



241 



can ; I saw wood in the house when I cannot go out, 
and eat grapes, of which I have always a basket by me. 
Our little lord lieutenant has forbidden the ministers to 
let me exhort in the parsonage, because it is the sove- 
reign's house. My second brother has addressed a me- 
morial to him, in which he informs him that he will give 
up neither his religious nor civil liberty, and will open 
his house for the word of G od ; and accordingly we have 
since met at his house. On Sunday we met at the young 
clergyman's, who, on his part, writes against the conduct 
of the clergy : but I fear we fence against a wall of brass. 
However, I am quite persuaded that Providence calls 
me to leave a testimony to my French brethren, and it 
may be of some use when i shall be no more. I have 
been comforted by seeing the apology of a minister at 
Yverdon, who was persecuted in the beginning of this 
century, under the name of Pietist. I have got acquaint- 
ed with a faithful minister of Geneva, but he dares no 
more offer me his pulpit than my brother-in-law at 
Lausanne. 

"The Lord was not in the forwardness of the young 
man I mentioned. It was but a lire of straw ; and he 
has now avoided me for some weeks. Several young 
women seemed to have received the word in the love of 
it, and four or five more advanced in age ; but not one 
man, except the young hopeful clergyman I mention, 
who helps me at my little meetings, and begins to 
preach extempore. I hope he will stand his ground 
better than he who was such an approver when you 
were here, and is now dying, after having drawn back 
to the world. 

" The truths I chiefly insist upon, when I talk to the 
people who will hear me, are those which I feed upon 
myself as my daily bread. ' God, our Maker and Pre- 
server, though invisible, is here and everyiuhere. He 
is our chief good, because all beauty and all goodness 
centre in and flow from him. He is especially love, and 
love in us, being his image, is the sum and substance of 
all moral and spiritual excellence, of all true and lasting 
bliss. In Adam, we are all estranged from love and 
from God ; but the second Adam, Jesus Emanuel, God 
with us, is come to make us know and enjoy again oui 
God, as the God of love ariJ i'.r chief good. All who 



242 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



receive Jesus, receive power to become the sons of 
God, &c, &c.' 

"I hope I shall be able to set out for England with 
Mr. Perronet in April or May. O that I may find that 
dear island in peace within and without ! Well, I hope 
you make peace in the Church, if you cannot make 
peace with the patriots. God is a good God. Do you 
know, the coats and shoes you gave me have lasted all 
this while, and are yet good ? so that I need not draw 
upon your banker. Thank God and you for a thousand 
favours ! God bless and comfort you, my dear friend ! 
We are poor creatures, but we have a good God to cast 
all our burdens upon, and who often burdens us that we 
may have our constant and free recourse to his bounty, 
power, and faithfulness. Stand fast in the faith. Be- 
lieve lovingly, and all will be well. Farewell. 

"J. P." 

A few days after he writes to the Rev. Mr. Perronet, 
in a postscript to his son's letter ; — " I have had the 
pleasure of accompanying your son to your father's 
birth-place. It is a charming country for those who 
have a taste for highland prospects ; but what is it to 
our heavenly Father's hill of Sion ? Thither may we all 
travel, summer and winter, and there may we all have a 
happy meeting, and find an eternal inheritance. Whether 
you will obtain your earthly estate in these parts in 
possession, as it is yours by right, is yet to me matter 
of doubt. A little time, I hope, will decide the question : 
and as Providence will throw in the turning weight, it 
will be for the best, which way soever the affair ends. 
My friend is tolerably well, and I hope Providence will 
bring him back to you safe, more out of conceit with 
the vanity of earth; and may we all be more in love 
with the blessings of heaven." 

34. It appears that in the latter end of March, Mr. 
Fletcher's health was still but little improved. On the 
29th of that month his words to Mr. Perronet are : — - " I 
am still weak in body, but able to ride out, and exhort 
some children, through Divine mercy. Well ! the time 
shall come when, in a better state, we shall be able to 
glorify our heavenly Father. In the meantime let us 
do it either in the stocks of weakness, or in the fires of 
tribulation. And on our deathbed may we sing, with a 



LIFE 01 REV. J , FLETCHER. 



243 



tteart overflowing with humble love, 6 The Resurrection 
and the Life, the Friend and Saviour of sinners, loved 
me and gave himself for me, and I am going to see and 
thank him face to face for his matchless love.' I hope 
the prospect, with respect to the inheritance of your 
fathers, in this country, clears up a little, and I trust the 
matter will be decided without a lawsuit. As soon as 
the affair is brought to some conclusion, we design to 
set out for England. The will of the Lord be done in 
all things." 

35. But although Mr. Fletcher had hoped to be able 
to leave Switzerland, on his return to England, in April 
or May, and it seems had taken measures accordingly, 
he was constrained, by the entreaties of his friends, and 
such of the inhabitants as had received benefit by his 
labours, to prolong his stay among them. " I have com- 
plied," says he, May 18, to one of his parishioners, 
"with the request of my friends to stay a little longer, 
as it was backed by a small society of pious people 
gathered here. Three weeks ago they got about me, 
and, on their knees with many tears, besought me to 
stay till they were a little stronger, and able to stand 
alone ; nor would they rise till they had got me to com- 
ply. Happy would it be for us all, if we prayed as 
earnestly to Him who can give us substantial bless- 
ings." 

It was not, however, without reluctance that he con- 
sented, in this instance, to the desire of his friends. The 
welfare of his flock at Madeley lay near his heart, and 
it gave him much uneasiness to be so long absent from 
them. On the same day that he wrote the above, he 
says to his curate : — " My departure being delayed some 
weeks gives me much concern, although, from the con- 
fidence I have in your pastoral diligence, I am easy 
about the flock you feed. 

" There was last week a visitation held here, and the 
clergy of the town took my part against the visiter and 
others, who said, 4 1 was of a sect everywhere spoken 
against.' The conversation about it held so long, and 
was so trying to my grain of humility, that I went out. 
The matter, however, ended peaceably, by a vote that 
they should invite me to dinner. God ever save us from 
jealous and persecuting zeal ! 



244 



LIFE OF REV. J FLETCHER. 



"I hope, my dear friend, you go on comfortably, do- 
ing more and more the work of a growing evangelist 
Remember my love to all I mentioned in my last, to as 
many of my parishioners as you meet with, and espe- 
cially to all our good neighbours, and to the society, 
God bless you all ; and enable you to persevere in 
prayer for yourself, for the flock, (which I once moie 
recommend to you, with the lambs, the children,) and 
for your affectionate brother, J. F." 

36. On good Friday, there being no service at Nyon, 
Mr. Fletcher and his friend crossed the lake into Savoy, 
in order to hear a celebrated Capuchin, who was to 
preach that day. " He made," Mr. Perronet observes, 
" a very good discourse ; and afterward he and his bre- 
thren very civilly invited us to dine with them. This 
we declined, but after dinner paid our respects to them, 
when Mr. Fletcher spent two or three agreeable hours 
with them in serious and friendly conversation." 

It appears by the letter from which the above is 
copied, dated May 22d, that Mr. Fletcher was then much 
better in health than he had been in March. On the 
9th of that month, he had preached in the church, on 
2 Cor. v, 20, " We are ambassadors," &c, and had 
spoken with a strong and clear voice for above three 
quarters of an hour, and yet did not find himself hurt 
by it. " Upon the whole," Mr. Perronet observes, "he 
has preached four times in the church since I have been 
here, and might have preached much oftener, if his 
health would have allowed him ; for by his friendly and 
prudent conduct toward the three ministers of the place, 
he is upon good terms with them now, although at his 
first coming hither they were afraid to own him, on ac- 
count of his irregular conduct ; for such they deemed 
his exhorting the children and holding meetings in pri- 
vate houses." In the afternoon of the day last men- 
tioned he met with a merciful deliverance. He was 
riding out for the benefit of the air, when his horse 
fell down as if he had been shot, and cut both his 
knees, and even his head, in a terrible manner. Mr, 
Fletcher, however, providentially escaped without the 
least hurt. 

Mr. Fletcher adds the following words in Mr. William 
Perronet's letter to his father of May ^2d 



LIFE OF REV: J . FEE ,"(. II E 



245 



" My Very Dear Brother, and Honoured Fa- 
ther, — I rejoice that you are vet preserved to be a wit- 
ness of Jesus' grace and saving health. Let us rejoice 
that when our strength shall decay, his will remain en- 
tire for ever ; and in his strength, we, who take him for 
our life, shall be strong. Our Redeemer liveth, and 
when sickness and death shall have brought down our 
flesh to the earth, we shall, by his resurrection's power, 
rise and live for ever with him in heavenly places. For 
the new earth will be a heaven, or a glorious province 
of the kingdom of heaven. With it we shall be restored 
to paradisiacal beauty, and filled with righteousness. 
Well : the meek shall inherit it, and that inheritance 
shall be fairer than yours at Chateau d'Oex, and surer 
too. I hope to accompany your son soon to England. 
Let us all move toward our one heavenly country, by 
Christ, who is the only way, a way strait, sure, luminous, 
and where the wayfaring man, though a fool, will have 
more wisdom than all the teachers of the mere letter. 

"J. F." 

Two days after he writes to Mr. Greenwood thus : — 
" I am yet alive, able to ride out, and now and then to 
instruct a few children. I hope Mr. Perronet will soon 
have settled his affairs, and then, please God, I shall 
inform you by word of mouth, how much I am indebted 
to you, Mrs. Greenwood, and Mrs. Thornton. I know 
it so much the more now, as I have made trial of the 
kindness of my relations in Adam ; those in Christ ex- 
ceed them as far, in my account, as grace does nature. 
Thank and salute them earnestly from me, and to those 
of your own household please to add Messrs. John and 
Charles Wesley, Dr. Coke, &c. That the Lord would 
fill you with his choicest blessings, as you have done 
me, is, my dear friend, the earnest prayer of your poor 
pensioner, J. F." 

" P. S. Mr. Perronet wants me to fill up his letter. 
1 would gladly do it, but at this time, a sleepless night, 
and a constant toothache unfit me for almost any thing, 
but lying down under the cross, kissing the rod, and 
rejoicing in hope of a better state, in this world or in 
the next. But perhaps weakness and pain are the best 
for me in this world. Well, the Lord will choose for 
me, and I fully set my heart and seal to his choice. Let 



246 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



us not faint in the day of adversity. The Lord tries us, 
that our faith may be found purged from all the dross of 
self-will, and may work by that love which beareth all 
things, and thinketh evil of nothing. Our calling is to 
follow the crucified, and we must be crucified with him, 
until body and soul know the power of his resurrection, 
and pain and death are done away." 

38. In the same spirit, and about the same time, he 
says to another friend, " Let us bear with patience the 
decays of nature : let us see, without fear, the approach 
of death. We must put off this sickly corruptible body, 
in order to put on the immortal and glorious garment. 

" I have some hopes that my poor sister will yet be 
my sister in Christ. Her self-righteousness, I trust, 
breaks as fast as her body. I am come hither to see 
death make havoc among my friends. I wear mourning 
for my father's brother, and for my brother's son. The 
same mourning will serve me for my dying sister, 
if I do not go before her. She lies on the same bed 
where my father and mother died, and where she and I 
were born. How near is life to death ! but, blessed be 
God, Christ, the resurrection, is nearer to the weak, 
dying believer ! Death works through the body, and 
the resurrection through the soul : and our soul is our 
real self." 

39. July 18, he writes: — " Providence is still gracious 
to me, and raises me friends on all sides. May God 
reward them all, and may you have a double reward for 
all your kindness. I hope I am getting a little strength. 
The Lord has blessed to me a species of black cherry, 
which I have eaten in large quantities. For a fortnight 
past I have catechised the children of the town every 
day ; and I do not find much inconvenience from that 
exercise. Some of them seem to be under sweet draw- 
ings of the Father, and a few of their mothers begin to 
come, and desire me, with tears in their eyes, to stay in 
this country. They urge much my being born here ; 
and I reply that as I was born again in England, that 
is, of course, the country which to me is the dearer of 
the two. My friends have prevailed on me to publish 
a poem on the praises of God, which I wrote many 
years ago. The revising it for the press is at once a 
business and a pleasure which I go through on horse- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



247 



back. Help me by your prayers to ask a blessing on 
this little attempt ; and may the God of all grace, who 
deserves so much our praises for the unspeakable gift 
of his dear Son, give us such a spirit of thankful praise, 
that we may bless and praise him as David did for- 
merly." 

40. In the beginning of September Mr. William Per- 
ronet wrote a little farther account of him : — " Mr. 
Fletcher has been wont to preach now and then, in the 
church here, (Nyon,) at the request of one or other of 
the ministers. But some time ago he was summoned 
before the Seigneur Bailiff, who sharply reprehended 
him for preaching against Sabbath-breaking and stage 
plays. The former, he said, implied a censure on the 
magistrates in general, as if they neglected their duty. 
And the latter he considered as a personal reflection on 
himself, he having just then sent for a set of French 
comedians to Nyon. Accordingly he forbade Mr. Flet- 
cher to exercise any more any of the functions of a 
minister in this country. However, one of the ministers 
here has given him a room in his own house to preach 
in. Here Mr. Fletcher meets a few serious persons, 
particularly a number of children, two or three times a 
week. And hereto his lordship has not thought proper 
to interfere with respect to this mode of exhortation. 
And both the number and the seriousness of the congre- 
gation increase daily." 

Some time after Mr. Fletcher speaks of this as fol- 
lows : — " Our lord lieutenant, being stirred up by some 
of the clergy, and believing firmly that I am banished 
from England, took the alarm, and forbade the ministers 
to let me exhort in their houses ; threatening them with 
the power of the senate if they did. They all yielded, 
but are now ashamed of it, A young clergyman, a true 
Timothy, has opened me his house, where I exhort twice 
a week ; and the other clergymen, encouraged by his 
boldness, come to our meetings." , 

41. According to Mr. Perronet, the minister by whom 
the opposition was begun, died suddenly soon afterward, 
as he was dressing to go to church. " But this awful 
providence," adds he, " has had so little effect, that the 
clergyman who succeeds him has likewise publicly op- 
posed Mr. Fletcher ; who now thinks himself obliged, 



248 



LIFE OF REV. J. FE£T€R4£&. 



before lie leaves his native country, to bear a publie 
testimony to the truth." He seems to mean chiefly by 
writing : for he observes in the same letter : — " Mr. 
Fletcher is engaged in writing something for the edifica- 
tion of his friends in this country ; but when it will be 
finished I cannot say, for it multiplies daily under his 
fertile pen ; so that I fear we shall be obliged to spend 
another winter in this severe climate." 

42. It appears, by sundry letters which passed be- 
tween Mr. Fletcher and Mr. William Perronet, (who 
was then at Lausanne.) which letters are now before me, 
that during a part of this month Mr. Fletcher was much 
afflicted by a rheumatic pain, which had settled on his 
left shoulder, and had been so severe as to deprive him 
of sleep, and almost to cripple him. However, says he, 
" I find it a good goad to make me go to the Spring of 
help, health, and comfort." A fortnight after, (Novem- 
ber 18th.) he says : — " Thank God, I have partly re- 
covered the use of my shoulder, though it is still very 
weak. I drink a decoction of pine apple, from the tree, 
which is as warm as guaiacum. My writing does not 
go on : but the will of the Lord is done, and that is 
enough. I would press you to come back soon, if I 
were not persuaded you are better where you are. I 
have been afraid our bad meat here would make you 
lose your flesh, fcnd, for the honour of Switzerland, I 
should be glad you had some to carry back to England, 
if we live to go and see our friends there." 

December 2d, he says : — "I have recovered the use 
of my arm, blessed be God. But I see the Lord will not 
use me in this country for good. [The Lord certainly 
used him more than he was aware.] And when we shall 
have done our little matters, I shall be glad to go to my 
spiritual friends, and to my flock. The Lord direct us 
in all things. O, for quietness and Eno-lish friends !" 
" 43. " I believe," says Mr. Wesley, " it was about this 
time that a remarkable passage occurred, which was 
related to me some years ago. I may possibly have 
forgot some circumstances ; but the substance of it was 
this : — Mr. Fletcher, having heard of a minister in the 
country as an eminently pious man, had a great desire 
to see him. and for that purpose one morning set out very 
early. When he had walked several miles, he saw a 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 249 

great crowd gathered together at the door of a house. 
He asked what was the matter. And was answered, 
4 A poor woman and a child lie dying.' He went in 
and found a woman who had not long been delivered, in 
appearance very near death. Little better was the case 
of the infant, which was convulsed from head to foot 
The room was filled with people. He took occasion to 
show them, from that melancholy spectacle, the dread- 
ful effects of sin : and afterward spoke largely of the 
miserable state we are all in through the sin of our first 
parents. He then expatiated on the second Adam, and 
the blessings we may receive through him : adding, 4 He 
is able to raise the dead ! He is able to save you all 
from sin, as well as to save these two poor objects from 
death. Come, let us ask him to save both us and them.' 
He found remarkable liberty in prayer. Presently the 
child's convulsions ceased ; and the mother was easy, 
lively, and strong. The people were utterly amazed, 
and stood speechless and almost senseless ! While they 
were in this state he silently withdrew. When they 
came to themselves he was gone. Many of them asked 
4 who it could be ;' and some said, 4 Certainly it was an 
angel.' " 

44. The following letter, written to a nobleman in this 
kingdom, and dated Nyon, December 15th, 1779, is wel] 
worth inserting here, both because it shows Mr. Fletch- 
er's opinion on a great political question, which was 
warmly debated in England at that time, and because it 
contains other important information : — 

44 My Lord, — If the American colonies and the West 
India islands are rent from the crown, there will not 
grow one ear of corn the less in Great Britain. We 
shall still have the necessaries of life, and what is more, 
the Gospel, and liberty to hear it. If the great springs 
of trade and wealth are cut off, good men will bear that 
loss without much sorrow ; for springs of wealth are 
always springs of luxury, which, sooner or later, destroy 
the empires corrupted by wealth. Moral good may 
come out of our losses : I wish you may see it in Eng 
land. People on the continent imagine they see it al- 
ready in the English on their travels, who are said to 
behave with more wisdom, and less haughtiness, than 
thev were used to do. 

32 



250 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



" Last year saw the death of three great men of these 
parts — Rousseau, Voltaire, and Baron Haller, a senator 
of Berne. The last, who is not much known, I think, in 
England, was a great philosopher, a profound politician, 
and an agreeable poet : but he was particularly famous 
for his skill in botany, anatomy, and physic. He has 
enriched the republic of letters by such a number of 
publications in Latin and German, that the catalogue 
of them is alone a pamphlet. 

" This truly great man has given another proof of the 
truth of Lord's Bacon's assertion, that 6 although smat- 
terers in philosophy are often impious, true philosophers 
are always religious.' I have met with an old, pious, 
apostolic clergyman, who was intimate with the baron, 
and used to accompany him over the Alps, in his ram- 
bles after the wonders of nature. 'With what pleasure,' 
said the minister, ' did we admire and adore the wisdom 
of the God of nature, and sanctify our researches by the 
sweet praises of the God of grace !' 

" When the emperor passed this way he stabbed Vol- 
taire to the heart by not paying him a visit ; but he 
waited on Haller, was two hours with him, and heard 
from him such pious talk as he never heard from half 
the philosophers of the age. The baron was then ill of 
the disorder which afterward carried him off. 

" Upon his deathbed he went through sore conflicts 
about his interest in Christ ; and sent to the old minister, 
requesting his most fervent prayers, and wishing him to 
find the way through the dark valley smoother than he 
found it himself. However, in his last moments he ex- 
pressed a renewed confidence in God's mercy, through 
Christ, and died in peace. The old clergyman added 
that he thought the baron went through this conflict to 
humble him thoroughly, and perhaps to chastise him 
for having sometimes given way to a degree of self-com- 
placence at the thought of his amazing parts, and of the 
respect they procured him from the learned world. He 
was obliged to become last in his own eyes, that he might 
become first and truly great in the sight of the Lord. I 
am, my lord, <fcc, J. F." 

45. Mr. Fletcher's concern for the spiritual good of 
his flock would not suffer him to rest many weeks with- 
out inquiring after their welfare. On Christmas day he 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



251 



writes to Mr. Greaves : — " Though absent in body, I am 
with you and the flock in the spirit. You are now at 
the Lord's table : — O, may all the dear souls you have 
just now preached to receive Jesus Christ in the pledge 
of his dying love ; and go home with this lively convic- 
tion. 1 God has given me eternal life, and this life is in 
his Son. He that hath the Son hath life : / have the 
Son, / have life, even eternal life. 

" Glory be to God in heaven ! Peace on earth ! Love 
and good will everywhere ; but especially in the spot 
where Providence has called us to cry, Behold ! what 
manner of love the Father has testified to us, in Jesus, 
that ice, children of wrath, should be made children of 
God, by that only begotten Son of the Most High who 
was born for our regeneration, crucified for our atone- 
ment, raised for our justification, and now triumphs in 
heaven for our full redemption, and for our eternal glo- 
rification. To him be glory for ever and ever ; and 
may all, who fear and love him about you, say for ever, 
Amen ! Hallelujah ! 

" Out of the fulness of my heart I invite them to do 
so ; but how shallow is my fulness to his ! What a drop 
to an ocean without bottom or shore ! Let us, then, re- 
ceive continually from him, who is the overflowing and 
ever present source of pardoning, sanctifying, and ex- 
hilarating grace ; and from the foot of the Wrekin, 
where you are, to the foot of the Alps, where I am, let 
us echo back to each other the joyful, thankful cry of 
the primitive Christians, (which was the text here this 
morning,) Out of his fulness we have received grace 
for grace. 

"I long to hear from you and the flock. Answer this 
and my last together ; and let me know that you cast 
joyfully your burdens on the Lord. 

" Give my kind pastoral love to all my people in gen- 
eral, and to all who fear God and love Jesus, and the 
brethren in particular. May all see, and see more 
abundantly, the salvation of God. May national dis- 
tress be sanctified unto them ; and may they all be loyal 
subjects of the King of kings, and of his anointed, our 
king. May the approaching new year be to them a 
year of peace and Gospel grace. That you and the 



252 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



flock may fare well in Jesus, is the hearty prayer of 
yours, J. F." 

March 7, 1780, he says again : — "I long to hear from 
you. I hope you are well, and grow in the love of 
Christ, and of the souls bought with his blood, and com- 
mitted to your care. May you have the comfort of 
bringing them all into the pastures of the Gospel, and 
seeing them thrive under your pastoral care. I recom- 
mend to your care the most helpless of the flock, — I 
mean the children and the sick. They most want your 
help, and they are the most likely to benefit by it ; for 
affliction softens the heart ; and children are not yet 
quite hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 

" I beg you will not fail, when you have opportunity, 
to recommend to our flock to honour the king, to study to 
be quiet, and to hold up, as much as lies in us, the hands 
of the government by which we are protected. Re- 
member me kindly to Mr. Gilpin, and to all our parish- 
ioners. God give you peace by all means, as, in his 
mercy, he does to your affectionate friend and fellow 
labourer, J. F." 

" Thus we see Mr. Fletcher was a good subject, as 
well as a good Christian, and was as attentive to his 
duty to his king and country as to his God. Indeed, 
these virtues cannot be separated. They that attempt 
to separate them only show that they are properly pos- 
sessed of neither. 

46. In what has already been related, we have had 
ample and continual evidence of the spirituality of Mr. 
Fletcher's mind, and of the fervour and elevation of his 
piety. We may also observe, in several of his let- 
ters, and in all his intercourse with his friends and oth- 
ers, the most manifest proofs of the greatest integrity 
and most strict justice. The following paragraph 
among others that might be produced, appearing in a 
letter now before me, written to one of his parishioners 
at this time, is a striking instance of this. 

Referring to a building which he had erected in Made- 
ley Wood for a school, and for the accommodation of- 
those of his parishioners who wished to assemble to re 
ceive the word of exhortation on the evening of tht 
Lord's day, and of some other days of the week, he 
gays : — "I am sorry the building has come to so much 



LIFE OF RE W J. FLETCHER. 



253 



more than I intended : but, as the mischief is done, it is 
a matter to exercise patience, resignation, and self-de- 
nial ; and it will be a caution in future. I am going to 
sell part of my little estate here to discharge the debt. 
I had laid by fifty pounds to print a small work, which 
I wanted to distribute here ; but as I must be just, be- 
fore I presume to offer that mite to the God of truth, I 
lay by the design, and shall send that sum to Mr. York. 
Money is so scarce here at this time that I shall sell at 
a very great loss ; but necessity and justice are two 
great laws which must be obeyed. As I design, on my 
return to England, to pinch until I have got rid of this 
debt, I may go and live in one of the cottages belonging 
to the vicar, if we could let the vicarage for a few 
pounds ; and in that case, I dare say, Mr. Greaves would 
be so good as to take the other little house." 

It appears, however, by some of his subsequent let- 
ters, that his friend, Mr. Ireland, (always a friend in 
need !) having heard of it, stepped forward, unknown to 
him, and discharged the greatest part of this debt for 
him. This letter, however, he cannot conclude without 
giving his friend some spiritual advice: — "My dear 
friend," adds he, "let us die unto sin, hold fast Jesus, 
the way, the truth, and the life, walk by faith in him, 
and not by the sight and passions of the old Adam. I 
hope the sun of affliction, which burns poor England 
and us, will ripen us all for glory. Give my best love 
to all our friends in Christ, and tell them that the hope 
of seeing them does me good, and that I trust they will 
not turn it into bitterness ; the which would be the case, 
if I should find them out of the narrow way, and out of 
the kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the 
Lord." 

47. The reader will observe that till about the close 
of the preceding year, (the year 1779,) Mr. Fletcher and 
Mr. William Perronet had generally lodged in one house 
in Nyon. But, about the beginning of this year, (1780,) 
they were obliged to be separated. Of this Mr. Perro- 
net speaks to his father thus, in July following : — 

" I think it was about half a year ago that we broke 
up housekeeping at Nyon. Poor dear Mr. Fletcher with 
difficulty procured a miserable lodging in the neighbour- 
hood, and I was obliged to go to Lausanne, which i$ 



254 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



seven leagues from Nyc-n. I submitted the more will- 
ingly to this, as at that time he talked of spending some 
time at Lausanne. But though I have been disappointed 
in this respect, I have had the pleasure of seeing him 
once or twice at Nyon. I found him to-day sitting in 
his small apartment, surrounded with books and papers, 
writing, or as he expressed it, ' finishing' the first part 
of one of his pieces : so, when the lohole is likely to be 
concluded one cannot pretend to say." 

48. Mr. Fletcher had intended leaving Nyon in Sep- 
tember next ensuing, in order to return to England ; but 
he then unexpectedly met with two hinderances. One 
was, that when he came to collect the different parts of 
the manuscript, just referred to, which he had designed 
to print and distribute before he left the country, he 
found the greatest part of it wanting, and after very 
many searches he was obliged to write it over again. # 
This event obliged him to delay his journey some weeks. 
Secondly, change of weather brought back some symp- 
toms of his disorder; insomuch that he spoke, or even 
whispered, with difficulty. He began, however, to eat 
grapes plentifully, as he had done the two preceding 
autumns, (his own little vineyard having produced an 
astonishing quantity in the latter of those years,) and it 
appears they became, through the Divine blessing, the 
chief mean of his restoration. Add to this, his friend, 
Mr. Ireland, urged that, if he returned to England at 
that season of the year, in all probability the winter 
would undo all that he and his friends had been doing 
for the restoration of his health, for many years. " How- 
ever," says he to Mr. Greaves, Sept. 15, after mention- 
ing the above circumstances, "I have not quite laid 
aside the design of spending the winter at Madeley ; 
and I am, at least, firmly purposed that if I do not set 

* Mr. Fletcher himself, in a letter to Mr. William Perronet, 
dated September 20, speaks of this as follows: — " The misfortune 
I hint at in my French letter, is the mislaying of a considerable 
part of my manuscript. After a thousand searches, giving it up 
as lost, I fell to work again ; went through the double toil, and 
when I had done, last night, I accidentally found what I had mis- 
laid. This has thrown me back a great deal. The Lord's will be 
done in all things. I thank God, I have been kept from fretting 
on the occasion ; though I would not, for a great deal, have such 
another trial." 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



255 



out this autumn, I will do so, God willing, next spring 
as early as I can. Till I had this relapse I was able, 
thank God, to exhort in a private room three times a 
week : but the lord lieutenant will not allow me to get 
into a pulpit, though they permit the schoolmasters, 
who are laymen, to put on a band, and read the Church 
prayers ; so high runs the prejudice. The clergy, how- 
ever, tell me that if I will renounce my ordination, and 
get Presbyterian orders among them, they will allow 
me to preach ; and on these terms one of the ministers 
of this town offers me his curacy. A young clergyman 
of Geneva, tutor to my nephew, appears to me a truly 
converted man ; and he is so pleased when I tell him 
there are converted souls in England, that he will go 
over with me to learn English, and converse with the 
British Christians. He wrote last summer with such 
force to some of the clergy, who were stirring up the 
fire of persecution that he made them ashamed, and we 
have since had peace from that quarter. 

" There is little genuine piety in these parts : never- 
theless, there is yet some of the form of it ; so far that 
they go to the Lord's table regularly four times a year. 
There meet the adulterers, the drunkards, the swearers, 
the infidels, and even the materialists. They have no 
idea of the double damnation that awaits hypocrites. 
They look upon partaking that sacrament as a ceremony 
enjoined by the magistrate. At Zurich, the first town 
of this country, they have lately beheaded a clergyman, 
who wanted to betray his country to the emperor, to 
whom it chiefly belonged. It is the town of the great 
reformer, Zuinglius : yet there they poisoned the sacra- 
mental wine a few years ago. Tell it not in Gath ! I 
mention this to show you that there is occasion and great 
need to bear a testimony against the faults of the clergy 
he^e ; and if I cannot do it from the pulpit, I must try 
to do it from the press. Their canons, which were 
composed by two hundred and thirty pastors, at the time 
of the Reformation, are so spiritual and apostolic, that I 
design to translate them into English, if I am spared. 

" Farewell, my dear brother. Take care, good, con- 
stant care, of the flock committed to your charge, espe- 
cially the sick and the young. Salute all our dear pa- 
rishioners. Let me still have a part in your prayers. 



256 LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 

public and private ; and rejoice in the Lord, as, through 
grace, I am enabled to do in all my little tribulations. 

"J. F." 

49. To another friend in his parish he writes the same 
day : — " You see, by my letter to Mr. Greaves that I am 
in good hopes of seeing you, at the latest, next spring. 
I have been so well, that my friends here thought of 
giving me a wife ; but what should I do with a Swiss 
wife at Madeley? I want, rather, an English nurse, but 
more still, a mighty Saviour ; and thanks be to God that 
I have one. Help me to rejoice in that never dying, 
never moving Friend." 

To the pious of his parish, and the neighbourhood 
formed into religious societies, he says at the same time : 
" I am still in a strait between the work which Provi- 
dence cuts out for me here, and the love which draws 
me to you. When I shall have the pleasure of seeing 
you, let it not be embittered by the sorrow of finding 
any of you half-hearted and lukewarm. Let me find 
you all strong in the Lord, and increased in humble 
love. Salute from me all that followed with us fifteen 
years ago. Care still for your old brethren. Let there 
be no Cain among you, no Esau, no Lot's wife. Let 
the love of David and Jonathan, heightened by that of 
Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and our Lord, shine in all your 
thoughts, your tempers, your words, your looks, and 
your actions. If you love one another, your little meet- 
ings will be a renewed feast ; and the God of love, who 
is peculiarly present where two or three are gathered 
together in the name of Jesus, and in the spirit of love, 
will abundantly bless you. Bear me still upon youi 
breasts in prayer, as I do you upon mine ; and rejoice 
with me, that the Lord who made, redeemed, and com- 
forts us, bears us all upon his. I am yours, in him, 

" J. F." 

50. In consequence of information received about this 
time from Mr. Ireland, that he and his family purposed 
spending the ensuing winter in the south of France, 
which, notwithstanding the war, they had obtained leave 
to do, and even to go anywhere, save to a seaport, Mr. 
Fletcher writes to his friend, Mr. William Perronet, 
thus : — 64 If you will go and join Mr. Ireland, I should be 
glad to do it, for the stream under my house prevents it 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



257 



from being very wholesome. I am, however, better of 
my cold, thank God. My brother thinks you may con- 
elude [referring to the matters in dispute between him 
and the coheirs] upon the terms you mention. 6 Better 
a dinner of herbs with peace, than a stalled ox and noise 
therewith.' I hope to go to Lausanne immediately after 
vintage, to offer a manuscript to the censors, to see if 
they will allow of its being published :* so I don't invite 
you to come and share my damp bed. My sister was 
so kind as to look for another house, but could find none 
to let for a less term than that of a year. We are here 
travellers, so we must expect some difficulties, and a 
great many inconveniences." 

51. Soon afterward this amiable and excellent man, 
like several of his other brothers, who died young, fell 
into a very poor state of health. December 5th, follow- 
ing, Mr. Fletcher writes to the Rev. Mr. Vin. Perronet 
thus : — " Our wise and good God sees fit to try my dear 
friend, your son, with a want of appetite and uneasiness 
in his bowels, which makes him often return the little 
food he takes. He came some time ago hither from 
Lausanne, and we went to Geneva together, where we 
settled your affair with three of the Geneva coheirs, 
upon the same footing he had settled with those of Cha- 
teau d'Oex. When my friend shall be a little better, he 
will give you a more particular account. He bears his 
weakness with so much patience and resignation, that 
my sister-in-law (who is an English woman) is quite 
edified." 

On the same paper Mr. Perronet writes : — " I have 
been here near two months, and most part of the time 
(so it has pleased God) in much pain and weakness. 
The irregularity and severity of the climate, added to the 
fatigue and distress I have undergone, have greatly im- 
paired my health. But I desire to submit to the will of 
the Lord, knowing that it is better to fall into his hands, 
than into the hands of man. I am with Mr. Fletcher's 
relations, who are extremely kind to me." 

* Such was, and I believe still is, the liberty of the press in 
Switzerland, although judged one of the freest countries in the 
world ! A blessed instance, like that above mentioned respect- 
ing the arbitrary and persecuting measures of the Seigneur Bailiff, 
of republican liberty ! Who would not wish for the same in 
England ! 



258 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



On January 22d, 17S1, he writes : — " I continue under 
such weakness, and am frequently in such great pain, as 
to my stomach and bowels, attended at times with such 
violent fits of vomiting, that I am at present but little 
able to undertake the journey Mr. Ireland so earnestly 
presses on Mr. Fletcher and myself, to join him in the 
south of France. I know what it is to travel in this 
country, and in France, in the depth of winter. We 
have bad roads, cold, wet, uncomfortable inns, frequently 
a want of the most common necessaries : and, I might 
add, sometimes even damp beds ; which would ill suit 
either me or Mr. Fletcher. I have the greatest reason 
to be thankful for the kindness I have met with from 
dear Mr. Fletcher and his brother's family, as well as 
from my friends at this place. I have nothing to regret 
here but the loss of Mr. Fletcher's company, who used 
to be much with me, and who would have sat up with 
me at night had I consented to it. After praying with 
me on an evening, he used constantly to repeat, or rather 
sing this verse at parting, — 

'Then let our humble faith address 
His mercy and his power : 
We shall obtain deliv'ring grace 
In the distressing hour.' " 

In another letter to his father, February 6th, he says : — 
" Mr. Fletcher is scarce recovered from a severe fit of 
the rheumatism, and I continue so extremely weak, that 
we shall hardly be able to accomplish our wish" respect- 
ing joining Mr. Ireland, and returning to England. But 
on the 10th of February, Mr. Ferronet's affair being 
ended, Mr. Fletcher observes to him : — " Your call to 
England seems quite clear now ; nor is mine less clear. 
My friend Ireland urges me to join him. I will venture 
upon a visit to the south of France with you, if you can 
bear the journey. We should go south by Lyons, and 
come back to Paris, through the heart of the kingdom. 
He says they are as quiet as if it were peace. 

" I find, by letters from thence, I am wanted in my 
parish for particular reasons. So necessity draws me, 
and my promises drive me. I finish to-day my book 
that detained me, as your affairs detained you ; and the 
weather is mild. The Lord strengthen, direct, and bless 
you. Cast all your burdens upon him." 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



259 



52. Before Mr. Fletcher left Switzerland, he was 
compelled to witness an earnest of those judgments of 
God upon that once happy people, which have since 
overwhelmed them with a full tide, on account, as is 
probable, of their departure from the faith and love of 
the Gospel. And what is remarkable, those judgments 
" began" it seems, 44 at the house of God," at Geneva, 
the place which of all others had enjoyed the greatest 
privileges, and made the greatest profession of religion. 
Mr. Fletcher mentions this event, February 14th, in a 
letter to a friend, thus : — " I am here in the midst of the 
rumours of war. The burghers of Geneva, on the side 
of the opposition, have disarmed the garrison, and taken 
possession of one of the gates. I had, however, the 
happiness to get in, and bring away my nephew, who is 
a student there. Some troops are preparing to go and 
block them up. The Lord may, at this time, punish the 
repeated backslidings of these Laodicean Christians, 
most of whom have turned infidels. This event may a 
little retard my journey, as I must pass through Geneva. 
It also puts off the printing my manuscript ; for there is 
nothing going on in that unhappy town but disputes, and 
fights, and mounting of guards." 

Mr. William Perronet also speaks of these troubles, 
in a letter to his father, a little after, as follows : — " The 
dispute at Geneva is between the burgesses and the 
magistrates, concerning their privileges and preroga- 
tives. The former have appealed to the magistrates of 
Berne, and the latter to the court of France ; and, it is 
feared, the affair will not be ended without great mis- 
chief on both sides ; the citizens having declared that 
if their grievances are not redressed, they will lock up 
the gates, and set fire to the town, and so perish all to- 
gether." 

53. The breaking out of these troubles was an addi- 
tional reason why Mr. Fletcher desired to leave that 
country. 44 You need not urge me," says he to the friend 
above mentioned, 44 to return : brotherly love draws me 
to Madeley, and circumstances drive me hence. With 
pleasure I*see the days lengthen, and hasten the happy 
hour when I shall see the little flock rejoicing in God, 
as, through mercy, I do. I trust to set out next month, 
and to be in England in May. It will not be my fault 



260 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



if it be not in April." At the same time, he desires 
another friend in his parish " to read the following note 
to all that feared God, and loved Jesus and each other 9 
assembling in Madeley church : — 

" My Dear Brethren, — My heart leaps for joy at 
the thought of coming to see you, and bless the Lord 
with you. Let us not stay to praise him till we see 
each other. Let us see him in his Son, in his word, in 
his works, and in all the members of Christ. How slow 
will post horses go in comparison of love ! 

c Gtuick as seraphic flames we move, 
To reign with Christ in endless day. 

64 Meet me as I do you — in spirit ; and we shall not 
stay till April or May to bless God together. Now will 
be the time of union and love." 

54. Mr. Fletcher, however, was disappointed of the 
company of his friend. To his extreme regret he was 
obliged to leave him behind. Mr. Perronet became 
so much weaker by the 20th of February, and the wea- 
ther so much more severe than it had been, the snow 
setting in, that Mr. Fletcher did not dare to urge him 
to take such a journey at such a season : and having 
himself solemnly promised Mr. Ireland to go to him at 
Montpelier, if he came over, and having already long 
delayed to fulfil his promise, he could not with propriety 
delay it any longer. He went however to Lausanne, to 
see Mr. Perronet, two days before his departure. He 
found him weak and low ; but the frequent vomitings, 
which he had had some months before, had left him, 
and his appetite had returned. Mr. Fletcher, therefore, 
was not without hopes, which were encouraged by the 
physician that attended him, that the return of fine wea- 
ther would be instrumental in restoring him. In the 
mean time he was well taken care of. " Miss Perronet 
and her mother," says Mr. Fletcher to his father, " are 
as kind to him as my dear friends at Newington were to 
me, when I lay sick there : and his mind is quite easy. 
He is sweetly resigned to the will of God." 

Still, however, it was a painful circumstance to Mr. 
Fletcher to be obliged to return to England without 
him ; and it was certainly equally painful to his friend 
to be left behind in that foreign land. " It would have 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



261 



been a much greater pleasure," says he to his father 
" to have accompanied my dear friend, Mr. Fletcher, 
than to have sent a letter by him. Indeed, I had nat- 
tered myself with the pleasing prospect of returning 
with him in the spring. But he is engaged by promise 
to join Mr. Ireland, and set out with him before the 
winter is over. For the snow is now on the ground, 
and it is extremely cold ; while I am so weak, as fre- 
quently to be scarcely able to creep from one warm 
room to another, without danger of fainting away. In- 
deed, once or twice, I have fainted on the slightest 
occasions. But I hope I shall be able to get out a little 
when the weather becomes milder : and, by the blessing 
of God. gather strength sufficient to undertake the jour- 
ney to England by the beginning of summer ; which 
time I very much long for." 

55. Mr. Fletcher set out for Montpelier some time, I 
believe, in the beginning of March, "full," as Mr. Fer- 
ronet expresses it, "of health and spirits/' But he 
greatly impaired both by preaching, which he frequently 
did in that city and neighbourhood. And when he got 
to Lyons, on his return from Montpelier, he found him- 
self so very ill that he observed, in a letter to his bro- 
ther, he was just on the point of returning to Switzer- 
land, not thinking it worth while to proceed on his jour- 
ney to England, in order to languish out a few useless 
days there. But recovering a little strength, April 6th, 
1781, he wrote to Mr. William Perronet as follows, 
from Lyons : — 

"My Dear Friend, — We are both weak, both afflict- 
ed ; but Jesus careth for us. He is everywhere, and 
here he has all power to deliver us, and he may do it by 
ways we little think of; ; as thou wilt, when thou wilt, 
and where thou wilt." said Baxter : let us say the same. 
It was of the Lord you did not come with me : you would 
have been sick as I am. I am overdone with riding and 
preaching. I preached twice in the fields. I carry home 
with me much weakness, and a pain in my back which 
I fear will end in the gravel. The Lord's will be done. 
I know I am called to sufTer and die. The journey tires 
me : but through mercy I bear it. Let us believe and 
rejoice in the Lord Jesus." 

56. Mr. Perrrmet had expected, as observed above, to 



262 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



gather strength as the spring advanced, and the weather 
became milder. In this, however, the Lord saw meet, 
in a great measure, to disappoint his expectations. 
Spring and even summer, bringing warmer weather, 
came : but still he continued in a similar and even in- 
creasing state of weakness. On the 15th of May, he 
writes : — " As to my health, it is not yet restored to me. 
It has pleased God to bring down my strength in my 
journey, and to continue me in that weak condition to 
this time, notwithstanding all the efforts of my friends 
and physicians, and my own endeavours in using a 
little very gentle exercise from time to time as I was 
able. Whenever I go out every one stops to stare 
at me, and many express their astonishment at the 
sight of such a spectre ; so greatly am I reduced and 
altered." 

On the 12th of June following, he seemed to himself 
to be rather gaining a little ground ; but, says he, " the 
continual, sudden, and severe changes in the weather 
here, tear me almost to pieces, and seem to throw me 
back as fast as I recover." Soon after this he removed 
to a pleasant village, called Gimel, between Lausanne 
and Geneva, where Miss Perronet's sister was settled. 
There he rode out, drank asses' milk, and breathed the 
purest air : "Mrs. Perronetis there," says Mr. Fletcher 
to his father, " with her two daughters. So that if his 
illness should prove more grievous, he will not want for 
good attendance, and the most tender nursing. Support 
him, dear sir, with your fatherly exhortations. They 
are balm to his blood, and marrow to his bones." 

57. As the reader will undoubtedly wish to know the 
sequel of the story of this benevolent man, I shall here 
insert an extract from another of his letters. Being re- 
turned to Lausanne, October 23, he wrote from thence 
to his father as follows : — 

" Honoured axd Dear Sir, — I wrote some time ago 
by a private hand ; but that is not always either the 
safest or the most expeditious method of conveying in- 
telligence. My letter, however, contained little more 
than an account of my return from the mountains, where 
I seemed to have gained very little in point of health 
and strength. I mentioned, likewise, my earnest wishes 
to return to England, in case it should please God to 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



263 



assist me in the means. This, I humbly trust, is in good 
measure effected : for I have quite unexpectedly met 
with a very worthy gentleman (a Swiss whom I for- 
merly knew in England) who sets out for London within 
about a week or fortnight. We shall travel in a chaise ; 
and he is so kind as to promise to suit his mode of travel- 
ling to my weakness, which, indeed, is very great. We 
may possibly be on the road when this letter reaches you, 
and I doubt not but my friends will assist me with their 
prayers. Trre season for travelling is late, it is true, 
especially for one in my weak state : but I choose this 
rather than venture to stay another winter in this terri- 
ble climate. Besides, I consider it as a providential 
call to return ; and I have taken your advice to put what 
remains to be done in my affairs into trustv and good 
hands." 

He soon after left Switzerland, and with great pain 
and difficulty reached Douay, in French Flanders, where 
he was taken worse, and died in peace, December 2, 
1781. A little time after Mr. Fletcher wrote as follows 
to his father: — 

" Rev. and Dear Sir, — While I condole with you 
about the death of my dear friend, and your dear son, I 
congratulate you about the resignation and Christian 
fortitude with which you, Abrahamlike, lay him upon 
the altar of our heavenly Father's providential, good, 
and acceptable will. We shall one day see why he 
made your sons go before you, and my kind physician 
before me. About the time he died, so far as I can find 
by your kind letter, a strong concern about him fell upon 
me by day and by night, insomuch that I could not help 
waking my wife (he was then married) to join me in 
praying for him, and at once that concern ceased ; nor 
have I since had any such spiritual feeling : whence I 
concluded that the conflict I supposed my friend to be 
in was ended. But how surprised was I to find it was 
by death ! Well ! whether Paul or Apollos, or life or 
death, all things are ours through Jesus, who knows 
how to bring good out of evil, and how to blow us into 
the harbour by a cross wind, and even by a dreadful 
storm. 

"If, my dear friend, your son has not quite completed 
his affairs in Switzerland, and an agent is necessary there 



264 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



for that purpose, I offer you the care and help of my 
brother, who was our counsellor, and who, I am sure, 
will do what lies in him to oblige the father of him whom 
he had the pleasure of having some time under his roof, 
as a sick monument of Christian meekness and resigna- 
tion. I am but poorly, though I serve yet my Church 
without a curate, Mr. Bailey being wanted at KingswoocL 
But what are we ? Poor mortals, dying in the midst of a 
world of dying or dead men. But in the midst of death 
we are in Christ the resurrection and the life, to whom 
be glory for ever. So prays, Rev. and dear sir, your 
affectionate son and servant in the Gospel, J. F." 

58. To return to the subject of our narrative : — Mr. 
Fletcher arrived in England in the middle of the spring, 
in tolerable health, being quite recovered from his con- 
sumption. Calling at London, he preached at the New 
Chapel, slept at Newington, April 27, and the next dav 
set out for Bristol. He stayed there only a short time, 
and then retired to Mr. Ireland's, at Brislington. The 
interview which Mr. Rankin had with him here, imme- 
diately upon his arrival, manifests very clearly that he 
brought back from the continent the same fervent spirit 
which had accompanied him thither. Of this Mr. Ran- 
kin gives me the following account :— 

"In the year 1781, being stationed in Bristol with my 
much esteemed friend, Mr. Pawson, I was informed of 
Mr. Fletcher's arrival at Brislington, from his journey 
to Switzerland. I rode over to Mr. Ireland's the day 
after, and had such an interview with him as I shall 
never forget in time or eternity. As I had not seen him 
for upward of ten years, his looks, his salutation, and 
his address, struck me with a mixture of wonder, so- 
lemnity, and joy. We retired into Mr. Ireland's gar- 
den, where we could converse with more freedom. He 
then began to inquire concerning the work of God in 
America, and my labours for the five years I had spent 
on that continent. I gave him, as far as I was capable, 
a full account of every thing that he wished to know. 
While I was giving him this relation, he stopped me six 
times, and, when under the shade of the trees, poured 
out his soul to God for the prosperity of the work, and 
our brethren there. He appeared to be as deeply in- 
terested in behalf of our suffering friends as if they had 



LIFE OF REV. J FLETCHER. 



265 



been his own flock at Madeley. He several times called 
upon me, also, to commend them to God in prayer. 
This was an hour never to be forgotten by me while 
memory remains. Before we parted, I engaged him to 
come to Bristol on the Monday following, in order 
to meet the select band in the forenoon, and to preach 
in my place in the evening. He did so accordingly. 
During the hour that he spent with the select band, the 
room appeared as 6 the house of God and the gate of 
heaven.' He preached in the evening from the Second 
Epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter ii, verse 13. The 
whole congregation was dissolved in tears. He spoke 
like one who had but just left the converse of God and 
angels, and not like a human being. The different con- 
versations I ha4 with him, his prayers and preaching 
during the few days which he stayed at Bristol and Bris- 
lington, left such an impression on my mind, and were 
attended with such salutary effects, that for some months 
afterward not a cloud intervened between God and my 
soul, no, not for one hour. His memory will ever be 
precious to me while life shall remain, and the union of 
spirit which I felt with that holy and blessed man will 
have its consummation in those regions of light, love, 
and glory, where parting shall be no more." 

I beg leave here to subjoin an extract from a letter 
written to me a few weeks after he arrived at Madeley : — 

" Madeley, June 25, 1781. 

"My Dear Brother, — I thank you for your kind 
remembrance of, and letter to me. I found myself of 
one heart with you, both as a preacher and believer, be- 
fore I left Bristol, and I am glad you find freedom to speak 
to me as your friend in Christ. By what you mention 
of your experience, I am confirmed in the thought that 
it is often harder to keep in the way of faith and light 
than to get into it. 2. That speculation and reasoning 
hinder us to get into that way, and lead us out of it when 
we are in it. 3. The only business of those who come 
to God, as a Redeemer or Sanctifier, must be to feel 
their want of redemption and sanctifying power from 
on high, and to come for it by simple, cordial, working 
faith. Easily the heart gets into a false rest before our 
last enemy is overcome. Hence arises a relapsing, in 
an imperceptible degree, into indolence and carnal seen- 

34 



266 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



rity : hence a dreaming that we are rich and increased 
in goods. This is one of the causes of the declension 
you perceive among some of the Methodists. Another 
is the outward rest they have, which is consistent with 
the selfish views of hypocrites, and with the unbending 
of the bow of faith in those who are sincere. Another 
may be, judging of the greatness of the work by the 
numbers in society. Be the consequence what it will, 
those who see the evil should honestly bear their testi- 
mony against it, first in their own souls, next by their 
life, and thirdly by their plain and constant reproofs and 
exhortations. The work of justification seems stopped, 
in some degree, because the glory and necessity of the 
pardon of sins to be received and enjoyed now by faith, 
is not pressed enough upon sinners ; and the need of 
retaining it, upon believers. The work' of sanctifica- 
tion is hindered, if I am not mistaken, by the same rea- 
son, and by holding out the being delivered from sin, 
as the mark to be aimed at, instead of the being rooted 
in Christ, and filled with the fulness of God, and with 
power from on high. The dispensation of the Spirit is 
confounded with that of the Son, and the former not 
being held forth clearly enough, formal and lukewarm 
believers in Jesus Christ suppose they have the gift of 
the Holy Ghost. Hence the increase of carnal profes- 
sors, see Acts viii, 16. And hence so few spiritual men. 
Let us pray, hope, love, believe for ourselves, and call, 
as you say, for the display of the Lord's arm. My love 
to your dear fellow labourer, Mr. Pawson. Pray for 
your affectionate brother, J. F." 

59. Mr. Ireland being confined by affliction, and wish- 
ing, nevertheless, to accompany his friend to Madeley, 
as soon as he should be able, Mr. Fletcher stayed a few 
days at Brislington, waiting for his recovery, before he 
set out for his parish. Upon their arrival there it was 
his first care to inquire into the spiritual state of his 
dear flock: but he did not find such cause of rejoicing 
as he had fondly expected. This may be easily gathered 
from the letter he then wrote to his friend at Newington. 
It runs thus : — 

"-Madeley, June 12, 1781. 
"My Very Dear Friend, — I stayed longer at Bris- 
lington than I designed. Mr. Ireland was ill, and would 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



26? 



nevertheless come hither with me : so that I was obliged 
to stay till he was better. And indeed it was well I did 
not come without him : for he has helped me to regulate 
my outward affairs, which were in great confusion. Mr. 
Greaves leaves me : and I will either leave Madeley, or 
have an assistant able to stir among the people : for I 
had much rather be gone, than stay here to see the dead 
bury their dead. Well, we shall soon remove out of 
all, and rest from our little cares and labours. You do 
not forget, I hope, that you have need of patience, as 
well as I, to inherit the promises, the best and the great- 
est of which are not sealed, but to such as keep the word 
of Christ's patience, and such as persevere with him in 
his temptations. Hold on, then, patient faith and joyful 
hope ! If I were by you, I would preach to your heart, 
and my own, a lecture on this text, We are saved by 
hope, and by a faith which is never stronger than when 
it is contrary to all the feelings of flesh and blood. 

" Pray what news of the glory ? Does the glory of 
the Lord fill the temple, your house, your heart ? A cloud 
is over my poor parish ; but alas ! it is not the luminous 
cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night. Even the 
few remaining professors stared at me the other day, 
when I preached to them on these words, Ye shall re- 
ceive the Holy Ghost: for the promise is unto you. 
Well, the promise is unto us ; if others despise it, still 
let us believe and hope. Nothing enlarges the heart 
and awakens the soul more than that believing, loving 
expectation. Let us wait together until we are all 
endued with power from on high." 

60. The above letter manifests still farther that he 
had sustained no loss of his piety and. devotedness to 
God while abroad. And although, as it appears, he now 
entertained thoughts of changing his condition in life, 
it is evident his mind was not hereby diverted from the 
pursuit of his holy vocation and ministry, nor his zeal 
in the least damped. This is rendered still more evident 
from a letter I received from him about the same time, 
with an extract from which I shall conclude this chap- 
ter : — 

"My Dear Brother, — I rejoice at, and am much 
obliged to you for your kind remembrance of me : and 
I shall be g f id to tie faster the blessed knot at the 



268 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



approaching conference, (to be held at Leeds, in the be- 
ginning of August next,) if my health permit me to be 
there according to my design. Happy are you if you 
live by faith in the atoning blood, for justification and 
sanctification. It is the Spirit alone which can show us 
the worth, and make us feel the powerful influence of 
the Saviour's blood and righteousness : and so far as my 
little experience goes, he gives that blessed privilege 
only to those who in the depth of poverty wait for that 
Divine revelation. I learn not to despise the least beam 
of truth, and I quietly and joyfully wait for the bright 
sunshine. 

" The best way to avoid errors is to lie very low be- 
fore God ; to know his voice, and consult him in all 
things ; learning to mortify our wise pride, as well as 
our aspiring will and our disordered passions. But more 
of this if we live to see each other again. 

"I am at present without an assistant here, but hope 
soon to have Mr. Bailey, one of the masters at Kings- 
wood school. If he come, I shall be at liberty to go to 
Leeds, and I hope God will strengthen me for the jour- 
ney. A godly wife is a peculiar blessing from the 
Lord.* I wish you joy for such a loan. Possess it with 
godly fear and holy joy ; and the God that gave her you 
help you both to see your doubled piety take root in the 
heart of the child that crowns your union. So prays, 
my dear brother, your affectionate friend, J. F." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Of his marriage. 

1. Although the great apostle has ranked the for- 
bidding to marry among the doctrines of devils, and has 
expressly declared, Marriage is honourable to all men, 
and the bed undefiled ; yet a kind of prejudice hangs on 
the minds of many, even of those that love God, inclin- 

* This is said with a reference to my h?ving i tarried about a 
rear and a half before 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



269 



ing them to disapprove of the marriage of persons emi- 
nent in religion. Yea, many are of opinion that it is 
not consistent with high degrees of holiness : and that 
when any who have deep experience in the things of 
God marry, they are in some measure fallen from grace. 
Hence many were surprised that so eminent a Christian 
as Mr. Fletcher should take this step. And they could 
hardly help thinking that he had lost some degree of his 
excellent piety, and that he was not so unreservedly 
devoted to God as he had been some time before. 

In order to satisfy every reasonable person that he 
had not sustained any loss at all ; that his entire self- 
devotion was in nowise impaired either before or at the 
time of his marriage, the most convincing way, as Mr. 
Wesley has observed, will be to give as particular an 
account as possible of the steps which led to this union ; 
and of what occurred at the time when it took place. 
This I shall do, first, in the words of the Rev. Mr. Gilpin, 
and then in those of one who was well acquainted with 
them both, and, in particular, was in habits of great inti- 
macy with the pious and amiable person who was the 
object of Mr. Fletcher's choice. 

2. " The attention of ministers," says Mr. Gilpin, 
44 in choosing such companions as may not hinder their 
success in the ministry, is of so great importance, that 
in some countries the conduct of a pastor's wife, as well 
as that of the pastor himself, is supposed either to edify 
or mislead the flock. Nay, the minister himself is fre- 
quently condemned for the faults of his wife : thus, in 
the Protestant Churches of Hungary, they degrade a 
pastor whose wife indulges herself in cards, dancing, or 
any other public amusement, which bespeaks the gayety 
of a lover of the world, rather than the gravity of a 
Christian matron. This severity springs from the sup- 
position that the woman, having promised obedience to 
her husband, can do nothing but what he either directs 
or approves. Hence, they conclude, that example hav 
ing a greater influence than precept, the wife of a minis 
ter, if she be inclined to the world, will preach worldly 
compliance with more success by her conduct, than her 
husband can preach the renunciation of the world by the 
most solemn discourses. And the incredulity of the 
stumbled flock will always be the consequence of that 



270 



LIFE OF REV. J FLETCHER. 



unhappy inconsistency which is observabl between the 
serious instructions of a well disposed minister, and the 
trifling conduct of a woman with whom he is so inti- 
mately connected. Nor are there wanting apostolic or- 
dinances sufficient to support the exercise of this severe 
discipline : — Even so must their wives be grave, not 
slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the bishop 
or deacon be one that ruleth well his own house, having 
his children, and every part of his family, in subjection 
with all gravity : for if a man know not how to rule his 
own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God ? 
1 Tim. iii, 4, 5, 11. 

3. " Early in life Mr. Fletcher was introduced to the 
ompany of Miss Bosanquet, a lady of distinguished 
piety, and one who had been exposed to peculiar suffer- 
ings in the cause of godliness. From the very first ac- 
quaintance of these two excellent persons, they were 
deeply sensible of each other's worth, and felt the secret 
influence of a mutual attraction. But, notwithstanding 
the peculiar regard they entertained for each other, no 
intimate intercourse subsisted between them for many 
years after this period. Both were called to an extra- 
ordinary course of spiritual exercises ; but by the pro- 
vidence of God they were appointed to labour in differ- 
ent stations. While he was exhausting his strength in 
the service of his flock, she was no less honourably 
employed in applying an ample fortune to the relief of 
the friendless ; collecting together, and supporting under 
her own roof, an extensive family, composed of the 
afflicted, the indigent, and the helpless, but chiefly con- 
sisting of orphan children. To these occupations they 
devoted the prime of their days ; and during more than 
twenty years' unwearied attention to these sacred em- 
ployments no regular correspondence was maintained 
between them. They knew, however, and rejoiced in 
each other's labours : but, while every succeeding report 
tended to increase their mutual regard, they greatly 
endeavoured to turn the whole stream of their affections 
toward heavenly things, joyfully sacrificing every infe- 
rior consideration to the interest of the Church and the 
glory of their common Master. 

" It was not till his last return from Switzerland, after 
his unexpected recovery from a dangerous illness, that 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



271 



Mr. Fletcher renewed his personal acquaintance with 
Miss Bosanquet, who received him as a friend restored 
from the grave. They had each of them studiously 
followed the leadings of Providence in their appointed 
stations ; and, at this time, a combination of extraor- 
dinary circumstances led them into those habits of inti- 
macy which daily increased their deep-rooted attach- 
ment to each other. There existed on either side a 
variety of motives to their immediate union, and not a 
single reason of any weight for their continued separa- 
tion. Every seeming impediment was suddenly removed 
out of the way, and all things wonderfully conspired to 
accelerate that entire connection between them which 
promised a large addition to their mutual comfort. At 
length, with the fullest persuasion that they acted under 
the Divine influence, they received each other at the 
altar, in the most solemn and affecting manner, as from 
the immediate hand of God, and in the presence of a 
multitude of friends, who rejoiced to see so much solid 
piety and worth united by an indissoluble tie." 

4. The account given by Mrs. C. in a letter to Mr. 
Wesley is much more particular : and as she was an 
eye and ear witness of what she relates, I doubt not but 
it will fully satisfy all who seriously consider it, that his 
soul was at that time all alive, and wholly devoted to 
God. And this whole transaction may well be recom- 
mended to the imitation of all Christians who enter the 
holy state of matrimony. 

"Rev. Sir, — I think it my privilege, and have often 
found it a blessing, to comply with the request of my 
honoured father, which I now do also in great love to 
my valuable and much esteemed friends, Mr. and Mrs. 
Fletcher. I will therefore endeavour, with the assist- 
ance of my gracious Lord, to recollect and acquaint you 
with some particulars of the life and character of these 
truly devoted servants of God, with whose intimate ac- 
quaintance I have been favoured for near thirty years. 
But, indeed, I feel my great insufficiency to relate what 
might be said with the strictest truth of these worthies. 

" My acquaintance with Mrs. Fletcher began when 
she was about seventeen years of age. She had from 
her early childhood been strongly drawn to seek the 
Crucified, and was now athirst for a clean heart, and 



272 



LIFE OF REV. J, FLETCHER. 



longed to have a right spirit renewed within her. Nor 
did her desire to love God with all her heart lessen, but 
increase, her love to her neighbour : as I, the most un- 
worthy, am well able to testify, to whom she has been 
a tried friend, even to the present hour. 

" To give you a clear view of this, I need only tran- 
scribe part of a letter which she wrote to me, May 23 
1757 :— 

" 6 My Dearest Friend, — The Lord has been indeed 
merciful, above all that we can ask or think. I found a 
greater blessing the last time I was with you than ever. 
I am more enabled to pray, and earnestly to seek aftei 
holiness. But what most stirs me up is, I seem to hear 
the Lord calling upon me, Depart ye, depart ye, go ye 
out thence : touch not the unclean thing : be ye clean 
that bear the vessels of the Lord. For some time these 
words have been much in my mind with both pleasure 
and profit. But within this day or two the Lord has 
more clearly shown me the way wherein I ought to 
walk. He seems to call me out to more activity, so that 
I am ready to cry out, " What wouldst thou have me to 
do?" Then I consider, Can I do any more for the souls 
or bodies of the poor about me ? But this does not seem 
to be the thing. What I am now led to wish for is, with 
both soul and body Jo serve those who are in Christ. 
And as soon as the Lord has prepared me for his work, 
and set me at liberty, my firm resolution is, by the grace 
of God, to be wholly given up to the Church. I plainly 
see I have no more to do with the world than to allow 
myself the necessaries of life. And though it has pleas- 
ed God that I have no need to work for my living, yet 
surely that is no reason my hand should be idle. I 
would be like those described, 1 Tim. v, 10, To bring 
up children, to lodge strangers, to be ready to do the 
meanest offices for the saints : to relieve the afflicted, to 
visit the fatherless and widows, and diligently to follow 
every good work. O pray for me that the Lord may 
shorten his work in me, and quickly make an end of 
sin ! O that he would say to my soul, Thou art all fair, 
my love ! There is no spot in thee. O when shall I be 
wholly given up, both body and soul, to Him who gave 
himself for me !' 

" I admired the spirit of this letter ; but little expected 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



273 



to see these good desires brought so fully into practice 
as they were a few years after. And this may suffice as 
a clear proof that God fulfils the desires of them that 
fear him : yea, and shows unto them the path wherein 
he would have them to walk. That her light given be- 
fore was not delusive is plain ; as it is well known how 
many years she has brought up children, lodged stran- 
gers, relieved the afflicted, and diligently followed 
every good work. 

" With regard to the clear saint that is now swallowed 
up in his beloved employment, praise and adoration, it 
is eight or nine and twenty years since I was first 
favoured with his heavenly conversation, in company 
with Mr. Walsh, and a few other friends, most of whom 
are now in the world of spirits. At these seasons how 
frequently did we feel 

1 The crerwlielming power of saving grace!' 

How frequently were we silenced thereby, while tears 
of love our souls o'erflowed ! It sweetly affects my soul, 
while I recollect the humility, fervour of spirit, and 
strength of faith with which dear Mr. Fletcher so often 
poured out his soul before the great Three One, at whose 
feet we have lain in holy shame and Divine silence, till 
it seemed earth was turned to heaven ! With what delight 
does my soul recall those precious moments ! Yet a little 
while, and we shall all magnify his name together. 

" This heavenly minded servant of the Lord resem- 
bled his Master, likewise, in his love to precious souls. 
I heard him preach his first sermon at West-street cha- 
pel. I think his text was, Repent, for the kingdom of 
heaven is at hand. His spirit appeared in his whole 
attitude and action, though he could not well find words 
in the English language to express himself: but he sup- 
plied that defect, by offering up prayers, tears, and sighs 
abundantly. Nearly about this time, he saw Miss Bo- 
sai quet, and began his acquaintance with her. But 
although they had a particular esteem for each other, 
yet they had no correspondence for above twenty years. 
It was not till the yearly conference drew near in July 
1781, that he paid her a visit at her own house near 
Leeds. They had much conversation together, and con 
tracted an intimate acquaintance. After a few days, 

35 



274 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



Miss Bosanquet, asked your (Mr. Wesley's) advice, 
concerning Mr. Fletcher's proposal. You approved it 
entirely, being persuaded it would be much to the glory 
of God." 

About the middle of September Mr. Fletcher returned 
to Madeley, where he continued till the end of October, 
when he again visited Yorkshire, intending immediately 
after his marriage to set out with his spouse to his be- 
loved parish. For he seemed to think every hour a 
day while he was detained from his dear people. But 
unavoidable hinderances occurring, their mutual friend, 
the Rev. Mr. Cross, was so kind as to supply Madeley, 
while Mr. Fletcher took care of Mr. Cross' parish in 
hi<* absence. 

" His general conversation," proceeds Mrs. C, " while 
at Cross Hall was praising God, and speaking of the love 
of our dear Redeemer. He took opportunities likewise 
of speaking to every one in the family concerning the 
state of their souls, and giving them, from time to time, 
such directions as were suitable thereto. At other times 
he met us all together, and gave us proper exhortations 
and directions. Our daily meals were as a sacrament ; 
when he drank to any one it was, 4 heavenly health,' 01 
6 the cup of salvation.' At or after the meal, he generally 
began, or called us to begin that verse,— 

' Still, O my soul, prolong 

The never-ceasing song ! 
Christ my theme, my hope, my joy ! 

His be all my happy days ! 
Praise my every hour employ : 

Every breath be spent in praise !' 

After dinner he often sung several verses of primitive 
Christianity : particularly that, — 

1 O that my Lord would count me meet 
To wash his dear disciples' feet !' 

Sometimes he read many of those verses with tears 
streaming down his face. Thus did he walk with God, 
filled with the spirit of his beloved Lord : confirming his 
love to all the family, and caring both for their spiritual 
and temporal concerns. 

" My soul was much affected, when he asked each of 
us, in a sweet, humble manner, 4 Can you give me your 
friend V To think of parting was indeed grievous to us 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



275 



alL Yet we did not dare to withhold her from him : as 
we all believed the union was of God, and would be to 
their present and eternal benefit. The first sermon 
which he preached in Leeds, on the Sunday morning 
before the conference, will never be forgotten by any 
that heard it, who desire to be perfected in love. He 
preached in many places while in Yorkshire, and to 
numerous congregations. I have heard of many who 
were blessed thereby : some convinced of sin, others 
comforted. And whenever he either preached or 
conversed, the comforts of the Holy Ghost were mul- 
tiplied. 

" Monday, November 12th, was the day appointed for 
the outward uniting of those whose hearts were before 
united by the Holy Spirit. On the morning of this day, 
several friends met together on this solemn occasion : 
who can all with me truly say, 6 1 have been at one 
Christian wedding.' Jesus was invited, and truly he was 
at our Cana. We reached Cross Hall before family 
prayers : Mr. Fletcher was dressed in his canonicals : 
and after giving out one of Mr. Wesley's marriage 
hymns, he read the seventh, eighth, and ninth verses 
of the nineteenth chapter of Revelation ; and spoke 
from them in such a manner as greatly tended to spi- 
ritualize the solemnities of the day. He said, 'We invite 
you to our wedding : but the Holy Ghost here invites 
you to the marriage of the Lamb. The bride, the Lamb's 
wife, has made herself ready. This bride consists of 
the whole Church triumphant and militant united to- 
gether. Ye may all be the bride, and Jesus will con- 
descend to be the Bridegroom. Make yourselves ready 
by being filled with the Spirit.' He was very solemn 
in prayer, and said, 6 Lo,rd, thou knowest we would not 
take this step if we had not eternity in view, and if we 
were not as willing to be carried into the churchyard, 
as to go into the church.' At breakfast he reminded 
us, * The postillions are now ready to carry us to the 
church, in order to see our nuptials solemnized ; but 
death will soon be here, to transport us to the marriage 
of the Lamb.' 

" On the way to the church, (Batley church, which was 
near two miles off,) he spoke much of the mystery which 
is couched under marriage, namely, the union between 



276 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



Christ and his Church. 6 The first Adam,' said he, 6 re 
ceived his wife from his side ; our heavenly Adam pur 
chased his bride by a fountain opened in his pierced side. 3 
They were married in the face of the congregation ; the 
doors were opened, and every one came in that would. 
We then returned home, and spent a considerable time ir 
singing and prayer. We were near twenty of us. I then 
presented Mrs. Fletcher with some wedding hymns. She 
looked them over, and gave them to Mr. Fletcher. He 
read the scripture at the top, namely, Husbands, love 
your wives : and added, as Christ loved the Church. 
Then turning to us, he said, 6 My God, what a task ! Help 
me, my friends, by your prayers to fulfil it. As Christ 
loved the Church ! He laid aside his glory for her ! 
He submitted to be born into our world ; to be clothed 
with a human body, subject to all our sinless infirmities. 
He endured shame, contempt, pain, yea, death itself, for 
his Church ! O my God, none is able to fulfil this task 
without thine almighty aid. Help me, O my God ! Pray 
for me, O my friends !' 

" He next read, Wives, submit yourselves unto your 
own husbands. Mrs. Fletcher added, As unto the Lord. 
4 Well, my dear,' returned Mr. Fletcher, 6 only in the 
Lord. And if ever I wish you to do any thing other- 
wise, resist me with all your might.' From dinner, 
which was a spiritual meal, as well as a natural one, 
until tea time, our time was spent chiefly in fervent 
prayer or singing. After singing the covenant hymn, 
Mr. Fletcher went to Mrs. Fletcher, and said to her, 
6 Well, my dearest friend, will you join with me in join- 
ing ourselves in a perpetual covenant to the Lord? Will 
you, with me, serve him in his members ? Will you 
help to bring souls to the blessed Redeemer ? And u 
every possible way this day lay yourself under the 
strongest ties you can, to help me to glorify my gracious 
Lord?' She answered like one that well knew where 
her strength lay, 6 May my God help me so to do !' 

" In the evening Mr. Valton preached in the hall from 
those most suitable words, What shall I render unto 
the Lord for all his benefits? I will take the cup of sal- 
vation, and call upon the name of the Lord. His words 
did not fall to the ground : many were greatly refreshed* 
After p/ caching there was a sweet contest among us ; 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



271 



every one thought, I in particular, owe the greatest debt 
of praise ; till we jointly agreed to sing, — 

' I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, 
And when my voice is lost in death, 

Praise shall employ my nobler powers : 
My days of praise shall ne'er be past, 
While life, or thought, or being last, 

Or immortality endures.' 

" On the Wednesday following, the select society met : 
and it was a precious season. Among other things Mr. 
Fletcher said, 4 Some of you perhaps may be a little 
surprised at the step my dearest friend and I have taken. 
But I assure you it was the result of much prayer and 
mature deliberation. Five and twenty years ago, when 
I first saw my dear wife, I thought if I ever married she 
should be the person. But she was too rich for me to 
think of. So I banished every thought of the kind. For 
many years after I had a distaste to a married life, think- 
ing it impossible to be as much devoted to God in a mar- 
ried, as in a single life. But this objection was removed 
by reading, Enoch teg at sons and daughters. And 
Enoch walked with God, and was not : for God took 
him. I then saw if Enoch, at the head of a family, might 
walk with God, and be fit for translation ; our souls, 
under the Gospel dispensation, might attain the highest 
degree of holiness in a similar state, if too great an 
attachment, leading the soul from God, rather than to 
him, did not take place, instead of that which should 
be a mean of increasing its union with Jesus. Yet still 
many obstacles stood in my way : but at length they 
were all removed. Every mountain became a plain, 
and we are both well assured that the step we have taken 
has the full approbation of God.' 

" But to repeat all the precious sayings of this servant 
of God would require many volumes : for his mouth was 
always opened with wisdom, tending to minister grace 
to the hearers. My earnest prayer is, that the spirit 
of faith and love and heavenly wisdom may rest upon 
you also, and guide you in all your extensive labours 
till they are swallowed up in eternal rest. I remain. 
Rev. sir, your unworthy child and servant, S. C." 

5. An extract from one or two of his letters written 
to some intimate friends soon after his marriage will 



278 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



manifest still farther both the state of his mind on this 
occasion, and the just, scriptural views he had of the 
new relation into which he had entered. December 
26th, 1781, he writes from Cross Hall, the former 
residence of Mrs. Fletcher, as follows, to the Hon. 
Mrs. C. :— 

"My Very Dear Friend, — The kind part you take 
in my happiness demands my warmest thanks ; and I 
beg you will accept them, multiplied by those which my 
dear partner presents to you. Yes, my dear friend, I 
am married in my old age, and have a new opportunity 
of considering a great mystery, in the most perfect type 
of our Lord's mystical union with his Church. I have 
now a new call to pray for a fulness of Christ's holy, 
gentle, meek, loving Spirit, that I may love my wife as 
he loved his spouse, the Church. But the emblem is 
greatly deficient : the Lamb is worthy of his spouse, 
and more than worthy ; whereas I must acknowledge 
myself unworthy of the yokefellow whom Heaven has 
reserved for me. She is a person after my own heart ; 
and I make no doubt we shall increase the number of 
the happy marriages in the Church militant. Indeed, 
they are not so many but it may be worth a Christian's 
while to add one more to the number. God declared it 
was not good that man, a social being, should live alone, 
and therefore he gave him a help meet for him : for the 
same reason our Lord sent forth his disciples two and 
two. Had I searched the three kingdoms, I could not 
have found one brother willing to share, gratis, my weal, 
wo, and labours ; and complaisant enough to unite his 
fortunes to mine ; but God has found me a partner, a 
sister, a wife, to use St. Paul's language, who is not 
afraid to face with me the colliers and bargemen of my 
parish until death part us. 

"Buried together in our country village, we shall 
help one another to trim our lamps, and wait, as I trust 
you do continually, for the coming of the heavenly 
Bridegroom. Well, for us the heavenly child is born, 
to us a double son is given, and with him the double 
kingdom of grace and glory. O my dear friend, let us 
press into, and meet in both of these kingdoms. Our 
Surety and Saviour is the way and the door into them ; 
and, blessed be free grace, the way is free as the king's 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



279 



highway, and the door open like the arms of Jesus cru- 
cified. 

January 1st, 1782, he adds : — "I live, blessed be God, 
to devote myself again to his blessed service in this 
world, or in the next, and to wish my dear friends all 
the blessings of a year of jubilee. Whatever this year 
bring forth, may it bring us the fullest measures of sal- 
vation attainable on earth, and the most complete pre- 
paration for heaven. I have a solemn call to gird my 
loins and keep my lamp burning. .Strangely restored 
to health and strength, considering my years, by the 
good nursing of my dear partner, I ventured to preach 
of late as often as I did formerly, and after having read 
prayers and preached twice on Christmas day, &,c, I 
did last Sunday what I had never done, — I continued 
doing duty from ten till past four in the afternoon, 
owing to christenings, churchings, and the sacrament, 
which I administered to a church full of people : so 
that I was obliged to go from the communion table to 
begin the evening service, and then to visit some sick. 
This has brought back upon me one of my old dangerous 
symptoms, so that I had flattered myself in vain to do 
the whole duty of my own parish. My dear wife is 
nursing me with the tenderest care, gives me up to God 
with the greatest resignation, and helps me to rejoice, 
that life and death, health and sickness, work all for 
our good, and are all ours, as blessed instruments to 
forward us in our journey to heaven. We intend to 
set out for Madeley to-morrow. The prospect of a 
winter's journey is not sweet ; but the prospect of meet- 
ing you and your dear sister, and Lady Mary, and all 
our other companions in tribulation in heaven, is de- 
lightful. The Lord prepare and fit us for that glorious 
meeting ! Your most obliged and affectionate servant, 

"J. F." 

6. The next day they left Cross Hall as they pro- 
posed and set out on their journey to Madeley ; on which 
occasion the friend, who gives the above account of their 
marriage, observes : — " January 2, 1782, we had a very 
solemn parting. But in the midst of all the sorrow 
which we felt, was a sweet assurance that we should 
meet again, not only in this world, but 



280 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



i Where death shall all be done away, 
And bodies pan no more.' 

This brings to my mind a sentence which he wrote to 
us a little before his death. 4 Time is short. It remains 
that we die daily. Stand fast in Christ, the resurrection 
and the life. That we may have a happy meeting is the 
wish and prayer of your affectionate friends, 

4 John and Mary Fletcher.' " 
After their arrival at Madeley, he writes to Lady Mary 
Fitzgerald as follows: — 44 1 thank you, my lady, for your 
kind congratulations on my marriage. The Lord has 
indeed blessed me with a partner after my own heart, — 
dead to the world, and wanting, as well as myself, to be 
filled with all the life of God. She joins me in dutiful 
thanks to your ladyship for your obliging remembrance 
of her in your kind letter, and will help me to welcome 
you to the little hermitage we spoke of last year in Lon 
don, if your ladyship's health or taste should call you to 
retire awhile from the hurry of the town." And about 
a year after, in a letter to Mr. Charles Wesley, his words 
are : — 44 1 thank you for your hint about exemplifying 
the love of Christ and his Church. I hope w r e do. I 
was afraid at first to say much of the matter ; for new- 
married people do not, at first, know each other : but 
having now lived fourteen months in my new state, I 
can tell you, Providence has reserved a prize for me, 
and that my wife is far better to me than the Church to 
Christ ; so that if the parallel fail, it will be on toy 
side." 

44 From this period," to use Mr. Gilpin's words, 44 Mr. 
Fletcher considered himself as possessed of the last pos- 
sible addition to his earthly happiness, never mention- 
ing this memorable event, but with expressions of extra- 
ordinary gratitude and devotion to the God of all his 
mercies. And from this time, to the other parts of his 
character must be added that of an attentive and an 
affectionate husband, which he maintained with a be- 
coming mixture of dignity and sw r eetness to the day of 
his death. By her Christian conversation, her devo- 
tional habits, and her spiritual experience, Mrs. Fletcher 
was peculiarly suited to a state of the most entire and 
intimate fellowship with this eminent servant of God. 
She was of equal standing with him in the school of 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



281 



t hrist, and of the same uncommon growth in grace : 
sne had drunk of the same spirit, was actuated by the 
same zeal, and prepared in every respect to accompany 
him in the Christian race. By her discretion and pru- 
dence she bore the whole weight of his domestic cares ; 
while, by the natural activity of her mind, and her deep 
acquaintance with Divine things, she seconded his mi- 
nisterial labours with astonishing success. Like Zacha- 
rias and Elizabeth, these extraordinary persons were 
both eminently righteous before God, walking in all the 
commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 
In their separate stations they had long been distin- 
guished as lights in dark places : but after uniting their 
rays, they shone with redoubled lustre, putting to silence 
the ignorance of foolish men, and dissipating the preju- 
dices which many had entertained against the truths of 
the Gospel. 

" For the space of almost four years, these Christian 
yoke fellows continued to enjoy, without interruption, all 
the inexpressible felicities of the most complete union ; 
a union which appeared to promote, at once, their own 
particular happiness, and the interests of the people 
among whom they jointly laboured." 



CHAPTER IX. 
From his marriage till the beginning of his last illness, 

1. From the time of his settling at Madeley with Mrs. 
Fletcher, he had no return of his consumptive disorder. 
On the contrary, by the blessing of God on her peculiar 
care and tenderness, not only his health was confirmed, 
but his strength restored as in the days of his youth. In 
the meantime he took care to employ all his returning 
strength in the work of faith and the labour of love. 
"I have yet strength enough," says he to Mr. Charles 
Wesley, Dec. 19, 1782, " to do my parish duty without 
the help of a curate. O that the Lord would help me to 
do it acceptably and profitably ! The colliers began to 
rise in this neighbourhood : happily the cockatrice's egg 

36 



282 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



was crushed before the serpent came out. However, I 
got many a hearty curse from the colliers for the plain 
words I spoke on that occasion. I want to see days of 
power both within and without : but in the meantime I 
would follow closely my light in the narrow path. My 
wife joins me in respectful love to Mrs. Wesley and 
yourself. J. F." 

More particularly Mr. Fletcher was diligent in that 
which he had always found to be one of the most diffi- 
cult parts of his duty. There were in the parish of 
Madeley no less than eighteen public houses. They 
were continual nurseries for sin, particularly on Sunday 
evenings. It had been, for many years, his unwearied 
endeavour to put an end to these abuses. Yet, as he 
very seldom had a church warden who was heartily will- 
ing to second him therein, his endeavours were almost 
ineffectual, producing very little fruit. But for two 
years God was now pleased to favour him with a church 
warden who was resolved to act according to his oath: 
he then cheerfully renewed his endeavours, visiting 
several of these houses every Sunday, (all of them in 
their turn.) In every one he bore a faithful testimony ; 
and in some it was attended with much good. O that 
no one of those who have been at any time within the 
reach of his voice may finally inherit that curse, Behold, 
ye despisers, and wonder, and perish. 

2. For many years he had felt, with the deepest sen- 
sibility, the disconsolate condition of poor, uninstructed 
children : and some years ago he began a school, wherein 
he taught them himself every day. After pursuing this 
method for some time, he erected a school in Madeley 
Wood. But afterward his thoughts were much engaged 
concerning the utility of Sunday schools ; especially 
after they were recommended to him by Mrs. Darby, 
an intelligent and pious person, whom he always found 
ready to promote every good work. He then earnestly 
set about promoting them in his own parish. Three 
hundred children were soon gathered together, whom 
he took every opportunity of instructing, by regular 
meetings, for some time before the schools were opened. 
These meetings he attended with the utmost diligence, 
till the very Thursday before his illness. In order to 
encourage the children, his method was to give them 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



283 



little hymn books, pointing them to some friend or 
neighbour who would teach them the hymns # and in- 
struct them to sing. The little creatures were greatly 
taken with this new employment : insomuch that many 
of them would scarce allow themselves time to eat or 
sleep, for the desire they had of learning their lessons. 
At every meeting, after inquiring who had made the 
greatest proficiency, he distinguished them by some 
small rewards. 

3. In instructing of children, one great difficulty is to 
draw and fix their attention. He had a singular gift for 
doing this, as appears by the following anecdote, and 
others that might be related, if need were : — Once when 
he visited Kingswood school, having collected all the 
youths together, and secretly addressed the throne of 
grace, he called for pen, ink, and paper, told the scholars 
he came to seek for volunteers for Christ, and desired 
all those who were willing to enlist in his service, to 
enter their names on the paper. A peculiar blessing 
attended the proposal : it led several of them to a seri- 
ous concern for their souls, and to a resolution of giving 
themselves up to live and die in the Lord's service. At 
another time when he had a considerable number of 
children before him in a place in his parish, as he was 
persuading them to mind what they were about, and to 
remember the text which he was going to mention, just 
then a robin flew into the house, and their eyes were 
presently turned after him. "Now/' said he, "I see 
you can attend to that robin. Well, I will take that 
robin for my text." He then gave them a useful lec- 
ture on the harmlessness of that little creature, and the 
tender care of its Creator. 

4. When he observed that the number of children, 
instead of falling off, as was expected, increased con- 
tinually, he wrote some proposals to the parish, which 
were received with the greatest unanimity. Many of 
the rich as well as the trading people lent their helping 
hand, not only to defray the expense of teachers, but 
also to raise a convenient house in Coalbrook Dale, for 
the instruction of the numerous children that were on 
that side of the parish. 

5. He prefaced the proposals thus : — " Our national 
depravity turns greatly on these two hinges, the pro- 



284 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



fanation of the Lord's day, and the neglect of the edu- 
cation of children. Till some way be found of stopping 
up these two great inlets of wickedness, we must ex- 
pect to see our workhouses filled with aged parents for- 
saken by their prodigal children, with wives forsaken 
by their faithless husbands, and with the wretched 
offspring: of lewd women and drunken men. Nay, we 
may expect to see the jails, and even the gallows, largely 
stocked (to the perpetual reproach of our nation) with 
unhappy wretches ready to fall a sacrifice to the laws 
of their country. • It is a common observation, (says 
Dr. Gibson, late bishop of London.) that public crimi- 
nals, when they come to their unhappy end, and make 
their dying declarations to the world, generally charge 
the sinful courses in which they have lived, to the ne- 
glect and abuse of the Lord's day. as the first occasion 
of leading them into all other wickedness. And consi- 
dering how frequently these declarations are repeated, 
and how many other instances of the same kind, though 
less public, are notorious enough to those who will observe 
them ; they may well be a warning to us to consider a 
religious observation of the Lord's day as the best pre- 
servative of virtue and religion, and the neglect and 
profanation of it as the greatest inlet to vice and wicked- 
ness.' 

64 A pious clergyman farther observes: — 1 The want 
of education in children is one of the principal causes 
of the misery of families, cities, and nations ; ignorance, 
vice, and misery, being constant companions. The 
hardest heart must melt at the melancholy sight of such 
a number of children, both male and female, who live 
in gross ignorance and habitual profanation of the Lord's 
day. What crowds nil the streets and fields, tempting 
each other to idleness, lewdness, and every other species 
of wickedness • Is it any wonder that we should have so 
many undutiful children, unfaithful apprentices, disobe- 
dient servants, untrusty workmen, disloyal subjects, and 
bad members of society ? Whence so much rapine, for- 
nication, and blasphemy ? Do not all these evils centre 
in ignorance and contempt of the Lord's day ? And 
shall we do nothing to check these growing evils?' 

"Persons concerned for the welfare of the next gene- 
ration, and well wishers to Church and state, have 



LI7E OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 285 

already set us a fair example in Stroud, Gloucester, Bir- 
mingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, and many coun- 
try parishes. They have attempted to remedy these 
evils by setting up Sunday schools, which, by keeping 
children from corrupting one another, by promoting 
their attendance on Divine worship, and by planting the 
first principles of useful knowledge in their minds, and 
of piety in their hearts, bid fair for a public reformation 
of manners, and for nipping, in the bud, the ignorance 
md impiety which are everywhere so common among 
the lower and more numerous classes of people." 

6. The proposals concerning Sunday schools in the 
parish of Madeley were as follows : — 

I. It is proposed, That Sunday schools be set up in 
this parish, for such children as are employed all the 
week, and for those whose education has been hitherto 
totally neglected. 

II. That the children admitted into these be taught 
reading, writing, and the principles of religion. 

III. That there be a school for boys, and another for 
girls, in Madeley, Madeley Wood, and Coalbrook Dale, 
six in all. 

IV. That a subscription be opened to pay each teacher 
one shilling per Sunday, and to buy tables, forms, books, 
pens, and ink. 

Y. That two treasurers be appointed to ask and receive 
the contributions of the subscribers. 

VI. That whosoever subscribes one guinea a year 
shall be a governor. 

VII. That three or four inspectors be appointed, who 
are to visit the schools once a week, to see that the chil- 
dren attend regularly, and the masters do their duty. 

VIII. That a book be provided for setting down all 
receipts and expenses ; and another for the names of 
the teachers and scholars. 

IX. That the schools be solemnly visited once or 
twice a year ; and a premium given to the children that 
have made the greatest improvement. 

7. As to the success of his unwearied labours, although 
he was much discouraged when he first returned from 
abroad, finding so many of those who had once rim well, 
grown weary and faint in their minds ; yet it was not 
long before he found fresh cause to rejoice, and to know 



286 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



that God was with him of a truth. It was not long be* 
fore he observed a general reformation had taken place 
in the parish. And it was not only an outward reforma- 
tion, even of many that had been notorious for all 
manner of wickedness ; but an inward also : many, both 
young and old, having learned to worship God in spirit 
and in truth* A considerable number of these still 
mourn their loss of him, as sheep bereaved of then 
shepherd. And yet one cannot doubt but a still larger 
company of his own children have hailed him on the 
celestial shore, But the season is coming when all 
secrets shall be laid open ; and all the jewels of his 
crown shall be made manifest in that day. 

8. One instance of the effect of his minstry, he men- 
tioned some years since at Bristol. " One Sunday," 
said he, " when I had done reading prayers at Madeley, 
I went up into the pulpit, intending to preach a sermon 
which I had prepared for that purpose. But my mind 
was so confused that I could not recollect either my text 
or any part of my sermon. I was afraid I should be 
obliged to come down, without saying any thing. But 
having recollected myself a little, I thought I would 
say something on the first lesson, which was the third 
chapter of Daniel, containing the account of the three 
worthies cast into the fiery furnace : I found, in doing 
it, such an extraordinary assistance from God, and such 
a singular enlargement of heart, that I supposed there 
must be some peculiar cause for it. I therefore desired, 
if any of the congregation had met with any thing par- 
ticular, they would acquaint me with it in the ensuing 
week. 

" In consequence of this, the Wednesday after, a per- 
son came, and gave me the following account : — Mrs. K. 
had been for some time much concerned about her soul. 
She attended the church at all opportunities, and spent 
much time in private prayer. At this, her husband (who 
is a butcher) was exceedingly enraged, and threatened 
severely what he would do, if she did not leave off going 
to John Fletcher's church : yea, if she dared to go may 
more to any religious meetings whatever. When she 
told him she could not in conscience refrain from going, 
at least to the parish church, he grew quite outrageous, 
and swore dreadfully if she went any more he would cut 



» 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



287 



her throat as soon as she came home. This made her 
cry mightily to God that he would support her in the 
trying hour. And though she did not feel any great 
degree of comfort, yet having a sure confidence in God, 
she determined to go on in her duty, and leave the event 
to him. Last Sunday, after many struggles with the 
devil and her own heart, she came down stairs ready 
for church. Her husband asked her whether she was 
resolved to go thither ? She told him she was. 6 Well 
then,' said he, 4 1 shall not, as I intended, cut your throat; 
but I will heat the oven, and throw you into it the mo- 
ment you come home. 5 Notwithstanding this threaten- 
ing, which he enforced with many bitter oaths, she went 
to church, praying all the way that God would strengthen 
her to suffer whatever might befall her. While you 
were speaking of the three Hebrews whom Nebuchad- 
nezzar cast into the burning fiery furnace, she found it 
all belonged to her, and God applied every word to her 
heart. And when the sermon was ended, she thought 
if she had a thousand lives she could lay them all down 
for God. She felt her whole soul so filled with his 
love, that she hastened home, fully determined to give 
herself to whatsoever God pleased ; nothing doubting 
but that either he would take her to heaven if he suf- 
fered her to be burned to death, or that he would some 
way deliver her even as he did his three servants that 
trusted in him. But when she opened the door, to her 
astonishment and comfort she found her husband's wrath 
abated, and soon had reason to believe that he was 
under a concern for the salvation of his soul. The next 
Lord's day, contrary to his former ungodly custom, he 
attended Divine service at the church, and even received 
the Lord's Supper. These good impressions, however, 
it is feared, have not produced any lasting change on 
his heart and life. But I now know why my sermon 
was takers from me, namely, that God might thus mag- 
nify his merty." 

6. Many were the dangers he went through in the 
course of his ministry ; but the Lord delivered him out 
of them all. One of these Mrs. Fletcher relates in the 
following words : — 

" My husband having appointed to preach one Sunday 
at a church about fourteen miles off, I felt some concern 



288 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



for his riding so far, and doing the whole Sunday's duty 
twice : especially as it was necessary for him to return 
home the same night. The evening being exceeding 
dark and wet, I was strongly led to commend him to 
God in prayer. While I was doing this, it was sug- 
gested to me that his horse was fallen, and had thrown 
him over his head : and the whole scene appeared to be 
clearly represented before my eyes. 6 My God,' said I ? 
4 he is thine. His life, his limbs, his health, all are 
thine ! I commit him to thee by faith.' Immediately 
that word was impressed on my heart, The righteous is 
in the hand of the Lord : and there shall no evil touch 
him. And it filled my soul with such a sweetness that 
I could feel no fear. The night was uncommonly bad, 
which occasioned many friends to continue with me. 
And while they expressed their great uneasiness at his 
staying two hours longer than we could well account 
for, I was obliged to hide the calmness I felt by silence, 
lest some should have supposed it insensibility. At last 
he came well, and praising God ; but asked for water 
to wash himself, because his horse had fallen, and thrown 
him with great force over his head. Yet, glory be to 
God, he was noway hurt, except having a little skin 
grazed from one of his fingers. As he set the Lord 
always before him, so he found his help in every time 
of need." 

10. In the beginning of the year 1783, his kind friend 
and host, Mr. Greenwood, was called away. On this 
mournful occasion he writes as follows to Mrs. Thorn- 
ton : — 

" Yesterday I received your melancholy, joyful letter, 
as I came from the sacrament, where the grace of God 
had armed me to meet the awful news. And is my mer- 
ciful host gone to reap the fruit of his mercy to me ? J 
thought I should have been permitted to go first and 
welcome him into everlasting habitations ; but Provi- 
dence has ordered it otherwise, and I am left behind, to 
say, with you and dear Mrs. Greenwood, The Lord 
gave, and has taken away, and blessed be his holy 
name. 

" The glory with which his setting sun was gilded, is 
the greatest comfort by which Heaven could alleviate 
his loss. Let me die as he did, and let my last end be 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



289 



like his ! I was so sensibly affected by your account, 
that I could not help reading part of your letter at 
church in the afternoon, and desiring all the congrega- 
tion to join me in thanksgiving, for the late mercies he 
had vouchsafed to my generous benefactor. On such 
occasions let sighs be lost in praise ; and repining in 
humble submission and thankful acquiescence. I hope 
dear Mrs. Greenwood mixes a tear of joy with a tear 
of sorrow. Who would not be landed on the other side 
the stream of time, if he were sure of such a passage 1 
Who would wish his best friend back on the shores of 
sorrow, so triumphantly left by Mr. Greenwood? 

" So Mr. and Mrs. Perronet are no more ; and Laza- 
rus is still alive ! What scenes does this world afford ? 
But the most amazing is certainly that of Emanuel cruci 
fied and orfering us pardons and crowns of glory ! Ma) 
we ever gaze at that wonderful object, until it has formed 
us into love, peace, and joy ! We thank you for the 
sweet name you still call us by, and we heartily take 
the hint, and subscribe ourselves your affectionate, 
grateful friends, and ready servants in Christ, 

" J. and M. F." 

1 1 . Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher had been earnestly requested 
by several serious persons at Dublin, to come over and 
spend a few weeks in that city, for the purpose of pro- 
moting the interests of religion, by their godly exhorta- 
tions and example. As long as civility or piety would 
suffer it, they declined the journey : but, after being re- 
peatedly urged to undertake it, at the united instances 
of the Methodist society, they judged it improper any 
longer to withhold their consent, lest in disregarding 
the solicitations of a willing people, they should disobey 
the summons of God. Accordingly, in the summer of 
this year, (1784,) they accepted the invitation, and ap- 
peared for a season in another kingdom, as two burning 
and shining lights. A gentleman of Dublin, who enjoyed 
much of their company during this holy visit, writes as 
follows : — 

" I wish it were in my power to send you any anec- 
dotes of our dear deceased friend. But, unless I were 
to send you an account of the words and actions of 
every day, I know not where to begin. One particular 
circ unstance, however, I will relate. Upon his going 

37 



290 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



to leave us, knowing the scanty pittance he receive** 
from his parish, we thought it but an act of common 
honesty to refund him the expense he had been at in 
coming, and to bear his charges back again. Accord- 
ingly, after he had preached, on the last evening of his 
stay among us, the steward and trustees united to press 
his acceptance of a small purse, not as a present, but as 
a debt justly due to him. But he firmly and absolutely 
refused it. At length, being very urgent with him, and 
importuate to an excess, he took the purse in his hand, 
4 Well,' said he, ' do you really force it upon me ? Must 
I accept of it ? Is it entirely mine ? And may I do 
with it as I please V 6 Yes, yes,' we all replied. ' God 
be praised, then, God be praised,' said he, casting his 
brimful eyes to heaven, 1 behold what a mercy is here ! 
Your poor's fund was just out : I heard some of you 
complaining that it was never so low before. Take this 
purse. God has sent it you, raised it among yourselves, 
and bestowed it upon your poor. You cannot deny me. 
It is sacred to them. God be praised ! I thank you, I 
heartily thank you, my dear kind brethren.' 

" Thus was his free Gospel a bountiful provision for 
our poor, while this last generous action served to har- 
row in the precious seed that his labour of love had been 
sowing among us. Indeed, it was a crowning of his 
labours, a sealing of his message that will never be for- 
gotten by us, that is registered in the pages of eternity, 
and will follow him among those works that he ever 
gloried to cast at the feet of Jesus." 

12. From Dublin, Aug. 23, he wrote to Lady Mary 
Fitzgerald as follows : — 

"Honoured and Dear Madam, — I see the truth of 
those words of our Lord, In me ye shall have peace, 
comfort, strength, and joy ; be of good cheer. We came 
here to see the members of our Lord, and v* T e find you 
removed, and removing farther still than you now 
are. What does this providence teach us ? I learn that 
I must rejoice in the Lord above all his members, and 
find them all in him, who fills all in all ; who is the life 
of all our friends, the joy of all our brethren. If our 
Lord be your life, your strength, and your all, you can- 
not go from your spiritual friends ; they will meet you 
in the common centre of all life and righteousness ; 



LIFE Of REV. J FLETCHER. 



291 



there they will bless you, rejoice in your joy, and sym- 
pathize in your sorrow. 

" If Providence call you to England by Scotland, by 
which route your ladyship apprehends so much difficulty, 
you know we must, at least, go to heaven by a way 
equally painful, — the narrow way, the way marked with 
blood, and with the tears and cross of the Son of God ; 
and if we follow him weeping, we shall return with ever- 
lasting joy on our heads. Even now the foretaste of 
those joys is given to us through hope, for by hope we 
are saved. Let our faith and hope be in God, rooted 
and grounded in him, who gives vital heat to our hearts, 
and who fans there the spark of grace which his mercy 
has kindled ; and may that spark, by the inspiration of 
the Holy Ghost, become a fire of holy love, heavenly 
zeal, and heavenly glory. Such power belongeth to the 
Almighty. 

" My dear partner, who, like myself, is deeply sensi- 
ble of your ladyship's kindness in remembering us, joins 
me in thanks for your obliging note, and in cordial 
wishes that all the desires of your believing soul may 
be granted you both for time, death, and eternity. We 
subscribe ourselves with grateful sincerity, honoured 
madam, your devoted servants in our bleeding Lord, 

"J. and M. F." 

13. While in Dublin, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher were 
entertained chiefly at the house of William Smyth, Esq. 
On their return to Madeley, in November, they express- 
ed their gratitude for the kindness shown them in the 
following words : — 

" Dear Sir, — The many great favours you have 
loaded us with, during our long stay under your hospi- 
table roof,, prompted us to make the earliest acknow- 
ledgment of our obligations, and to beg you would receive 
our warmest thanks for such unexpected and undeserved 
tokens of your brotherly love. But the desire of filling 
our only frank has hindered their being more early 
traced upon paper; though they have been, are now, 
and, we trust, shall ever be deeply engraven on our 
hearts. You have united for us the Irish hospitality, 
the English cordiality, and the French politeness. And 
now, sir, what shall we say? You are our generous 
benefactor, and we are your affectionate, though unpro 



LIFE OF REV. J, FLETCHER. 



fitable servants. In one sense we are on a level with 
those to whom you show charity in the streets; we can 
do nothing but pray for you, your dear partner, and 
yours. You kindly received us for Christ's sake ; may 
God receive you freely for his sake also ! You have 
borne with our infirmities : the Lord bear with yours 
also ! You have let your servant serve us: the Lord 
give all his servants and his angels charge concerning 
you, that you hurt not your foot against a stone, and 
may be helped out of every difficulty ! You have given 
us a most pleasing resting place, and comfortable apart- 
ment under your roof, and next your own chamber : the 
Lord grant you eternal rest with him in the heavenly 
mansions ! May he himself be your habitation and rest- 
ing place for ever ; and place you and yours with his 
own jewels, in the choicest repository of precious things ! 
You have fed us with the richest food : may the Giver 
of every perfect gift fit you for a place at his table, and 
may you rank there with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ! 
You have given us wines : may you drink with Christ 
himself the fruit of the vine, new in your Father's 
kingdom ! You have ofiven us a rich provision for the 
way: when you cross the flood? the deep flood of death, 
may you rind that your heavenly Lord has made such a 
rich provision of faith, righteousness, hope, and joy for 
you, that you may rejoice, triumph, and sing-, while you 
leave your earthly friends to £0 home ! which, by the 
by, is more than we are enabled to do ; for, instead of 
singing in our cabins, there was very different melody. 

" However, we could soon, with grateful, joyful hearts, 
look back from the British to the Irish shore, and greet 
in spirit the dear friends we had left there. The Lord 
bless and increase them in spiritual, and if best for them, 
in temporal goods also ! The Lord crown them and 
theirs with loving kindness, and mercies equal to the 
love of our God, and the merits of our Saviour ! And 
now, dear sir, what shall I add ? I cannot now even see 
my Bible, but through the medium of your love, and the 
token with which it alternately loads my pocket and my 
hand. I cannot even seal a letter with a good wafer, 
but I find a new call to repeat my thanks to you. I 
would begin again, but my scrap of paper is full, as well 
as my heart- and I must spare a line to tell you that I 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



293 



had the pleasure of seeing our kind benefactress, Mrs 
Smyth, safe at Bristol, with her little charge and Lady 
Mary. We remain, dear sir, your most affectionate and 
most obliged pensioners and servants, 

" J. and M. F." 
At the same time they addressed an affectionate letter 
to the members of the Methodist society in Dublin, from 
which I present the reader with the following short ex- 
tract : — 

"To all the dear brethren who, after kindly inviting 
John and Mary Fletcher, patiently bearing with them 
and their infirmities, and entertaining them in the most 
hospitable, Christian manner, have added to all their 
former favours that of thanking them for their most 
pleasant and profitable journey: — 

"Brethren and Dearly Beloved in the Lord, — 
We had felt shame enough under the sense of your 
kindness and patience toward us, and of our unprofita- 
bleness toward you, when at Dublin. You needed not 
have added to our shame, by the new token of your love, 
the friendly letter we have received from you. We are 
indebted to you, dear brethren ; we owed you the letter 
of thanks you have gratuitously sent. But in all things 
you will have the pre-eminence, and we are glad to 
drink the cup of humility at your feet. May the Lord, 
who can part the sea by the touch of a rod, and could 
at first cause the earth to bring forth abundantly all 
manner of trees and plants without seed, so bless the 
seed of the word, which we sowed in great weakness 
among you, as to make it produce a full crop of humble 
repentance, cheerful faith, triumphant hope, and the 
sanctifying influences of God's Spirit in your hearts, in 
all your families, in all your assemblies, and in your 
whole society ! If your profuse liberality toward us 
abounded to the comfort of our poor brethren, we doubly 
rejoice on your account, and on theirs." 

14. The laying the foundation of the Sunday schools 
at Madeley was the last public work in which he was 
employed. But, as the liberal man is ever devising libe- 
ral things, he had several plans in his mind for providing 
for a great number of desolate children, brought up only 
to beg and steal. Such this populous parish, and indeed 
most others, afford in great abundance. He had like* 



294 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



wise proposed writing various little tracts, for the use 
of the schools. But He who cannot err, saw good to 
call his servant hence to enjoy, rather than leave him 
here to do and suffer. 

15. I shall conclude this chapter with some short 
extracts from two or three of his letters to his friends, 
written during the last year of his life. These I shall 
here insert with a view to show that his ideas of, and 
zeal for, spiritual, experimental, and practical religion, 
including universal holiness of heart and life, continued 
unvaried to the end of his days, and that to the last he 
44 walked by the same rule" by which he had walked 
from the beginning, "minded the same things," and per- 
severed 66 to press to the mark, for the prize of his high 
calling," never satisfied with what he had attained. 

September 13, 1784, he writes to Mr. Ireland thus : — 
" Surely the Lord keeps us both in slippery places that 
we may still sit loose to all below. Let us do so more 
and more, and make the best of those days which the 
Lord grants us to finish the work he has given us to do. 

let us fall in with the gracious designs of his provi- 
dence : trim our lamps, gird our loins, and prepare to 
escape to the heavenly shore, as Paul did, when he saw 
the leaky ship ready to go to the bottom, and made him- 
self ready to swim to the land. 

" I keep in my sentry box till Providence remove me : 
my situation is quite suited to my little strength ; I may 
do as much or as little as I please, according to my 
weakness : and I have an advantage which I can have 
nowhere else, in such a degree : — my little field of action 
is just at my door, so that if I happen to overdo myself, 

1 have but a step from my pulpit to my bed, and from 
my bed to my grave. If I had a body full of vigour, 
and a purse full of money, I should like well enough 
to travel about as Mr. Wesley does ; but as Providence 
does not call me to it, I readily submit. The snail does 
best in its shell : were it to aim at galloping like the race 
horse, it would be ridiculous indeed. I thank God, my 
wife, who joins me in thanks to you for your kind offer, 
is quite of my mind with respect to the call we have to a 
sedentary life. We are two poor invalids, who between 
us make half a labourer. 

" She sweetly helps me to drink the dregs of life, and 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



295 



to carrv with ease the daily cross. Neither of us are 
long for this world ; we see it, we feel it, and by looking 
at death and his Conqueror, we fight beforehand our last 
battle with that last enemy whom our dear Lord hath 
overcome for us." 

Jan. 21, 1785, he says to Mrs. Thornton : — " Between 
the living and the dead, (being dying worms ourselves,) 
what manner of people ought we to be in our generation? 
If we cannot be what we would, burning and shining 
lights, showing forth the glory, the mercy, the love of 
our Lord, as those who flame with indefatigable zeal, 
and run a race of immense labours, let us at least lie 
meekly at Christ's feet as Mary, or patiently hang on 
the cross as our common Lord. 

" I want much to know how you all do in soul and 
body : as for me, I make just shift to fill up my little 
sentry box, by the help of my dear partner. Had we 
more strength we should have opportunity enough to 
exert it. O that we were but truly faithful in our little 
place ! Your great stage of London is too high for peo- 
ple of little ability and little strength, and therefore we 
are afraid of venturing upon it, lest the consequence 
should be our bringing new burdens on our generous 
frrends. We should be glad to rise high in usefulness ; 
but God, who needs us not, calls us to sink in deep re- 
signation and humility. His will be done !" 

To Mr. Henry Brooke, Feb. 28, his words are : — 
" We are all shadows. Your mortal parent hath passed 
away ; and we pass away after him. Blessed be the 
Author of every good and perfect gift for the shadow of 
his eternal paternity displayed to us in our deceased 
parents. What was good, loving, and lovely in them, is 
hid with Christ in God ; where we may still enjoy it 
implicitly, and where we shall explicitly enjoy it when 
he shall appear. A lesson I learn daily is to see things 
and persons in their invisible root, and in their eternal 
principle ; where they are not subject to change, decay, 
and death ; but where they blossom and shine in the 
primeval excellence allotted them by their gracious 
Creator. By these means I learn to walk by faith, and 
not by sight ; but, like a child, instead of walking straight 
and firm in this good, spiritual way, I am still apt to 
cling here or there ; which makes me cry, ; Lord, let me 



296 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETC /LER. 



see all things more clearly, that I may never mistake a 
shadow for the substance, nor put any creature, no, not 
for a moment, in the place of the Creator ; who deserves 
to be loved, admired, and sought after, with all the pow- 
ers of our souls.' 

" Tracing his image in all the footsteps of nature, or 
looking for the Divine signature on every creature, as 
we would look for the king's image on an old, rusty 
medal, is true philosophy ; and to find out that, which is 
of God in ourselves, is true wisdom, genuine godliness. 
I hope you will never be afraid, nor ashamed of it. I 
see no danger in these studies and meditations, provided 
we still keep the end in view, — the all of God, and the 
shadowy nothingness of all that is visible. 

" With respect to the great pentecostal display of the 
Spirit's glory, I still look for it within and without ; and 
to look for it aright is the lesson I am learning. 

" I am glad your partner goes on simply and believ- 
ingly. Such a companion is a great blessing, if you 
know how to make use of it. For 4 when two of you 
shall agree touching any one thing in prayer, it shall be 
done.' My wife and I endeavour to fathom the meaning 
of that deep promise ; join your line to ours, and let us 
search what, after all, exceeds knowledge, — I mean fhe 
wisdom and the power, the love and faithfulness of God. 
Adieu. Be God's, as the French say ; and see God 
yours in Christ." 

The last letter, probably, which he wrote, dated July 
19, 1785, about three weeks before his death, and a 
fortnight before he was taken ill, is addressed to his 
faithful friend, Mr. Ireland, in the following words : — 

"My Dear Friend,- — Blessed be God, we are still 
alive, and, in the midst of many infirmities, we enjoy a 
degree of health, spiritual and bodily. O how good 
was the Lord to come as Son of man to live here for us, 
and to come in his Spirit to live in us for ever ! This 
is a mystery of godliness : the Lord make us full wit- 
nesses of it ! 

" A week ago I was tried to the quick by a fever with 
which my dear wife was afflicted : two persons whom 
she had visited, having been carried off, within a pistol 
shot of our house, I dreaded her being the third. But 
the Lord hath heard prayer, and she is spared. O what 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



297 



is life ! On what a slender thread hang everlasting 
things ! My comfort, however, is that this thread is as 
strong as the will of God, and the word of his grace, 
which cannot be broken. That grace and peace, love, 
and thankful joy, may ever attend you, is the wish of 
your most obliged friends, J. and M. F 



CHAPTER X. 

His character, taken chiefly from the Rev. Mr. Gilpin's account 

1. Although it be the method of almost all writers, 
[Mr. Wesley' ] s Life of Fletcher,) to place the character 
of the person whose life they write at the conclusion of 
their work, there seems to be a particular reason for 
pursuing a different plan with respect to Mr. Fletcher. 
God gave such an uncommon display of his power and 
goodness, in behalf of his highly favoured servant, at 
his death, that it seems quite proper the account of that 
last scene should close the history of him, and that no- 
thing should follow it. I shall, therefore, here insert the 
best account I can collect of the character of this great 
and good man. But as we have scarce any light from 
himself, there is a peculiar difficulty in the way. " He 
was on all occasions," as Mr. Wesley has justly observed, 
" very uncommonly reserved in speaking of himself, 
whether in writing or conversation. He hardly ever 
said any thing concerning himself, unless it slipped from 
him unawares. And, among the great number of papers 
which he has left, there is scarce a page (except that 
single account of his conversion to God) relative either 
to his own inward experience, or the transactions of his 
life. So that the most of the information we have is 
gathered up, either from short hints scattered up and 
down in his letters, from what he had occasionally drop- 
ped among his friends, or from what one and another 
remembered concerning him." 

2. From the imperfect account, however, which has 
already been given of him, any discerning person may, 
with very little difficulty, extract his character. In 

38 



298 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



general it is easy to perceive that a more excellent man 
has not appeared in the Church for some ages. It is 
true, in several ages, and in several countries, many men 
have excelled in particular virtues and graces. But who 
can point out, in any age or nation, one that so highly 
excelled in all ? One that was enabled, in so large a 
measure, to put on the whole armour of God ? Yea, so 
to put on Christ as to perfect holiness in the fear of 
God? 

3. It is evident, as Mr. Gilpin relates, [Portrait, page 
42,) that his life might, with the greatest propriety, be 
termed " a life of faith." Through the whole of his 
Christian pilgrimage, he walked by faith, not by sight. 
By faith he embraced the truths of the Gospel, when they 
were first proposed to him in plainness and simplicity ; 
not barely admitting, but relying upon them with an 
entire confidence. By faith he relinquished the world, 
while it presented him with many flattering prospects, 
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. 
By faith he endured the displeasure of his friends, and 
patiently suffered their contradiction, esteeming the re- 
proach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of 
the world, and having respect unto the recompense of 
reward. By faith he engaged himself in the Christian 
warfare, unmoved either by its difficulties or its dangers , 
and by faith he endured to the end, as seeing Him who 
is invisible. Though his faith was always increasing, 
yet, during his Christian profession, there never was a 
time in which he was regarded as a man weak, or waver- 
ing in the faith of the Gospel. On the contrary, he 
seems to have borne a strong resemblance to those two 
extraordinary characters whose faith, upon their very 
first application to Christ, not only procured his appro 
bation, but appeared to excite his astonishment. 

4, His faith was frequently put to the severest tests ; 
but, after being tried to the uttermost, it remained un- 
shaken. He regarded the promises of God as the firm 
supports of this grace, nor was he ever seen to stagger 
at any of those promises through unbelief. If the pro- 
mise was great and important ; if its full accomplish- 
ment was even doubted by his most esteemed fellow 
labourers ; yet this holy man continued strorg in faith, 



LIFE OF REV, J. FLETCHER. 



299 



giving glory to God; being fully persuaded that what 
he had promised he was able also to perform. By this 
mighty grace he engaged in the most difficult duties, and 
saw many mountainous obstacles removed from his path. 
By this he was enabled to bear the heat and burden of 
the day; and by this, notwithstanding all the discou- 
ragements that could be thrown in his way, he went on 
from conquering to conquer. 

5. " The nature of his faith was evidenced by the 
works it produced. He stood not as a cumberer of the 
ground in his Master's vineyard ; but, like a tree planted 
by the waterside, he brought forth his fruit in due sea- 
son. He stood as an humble representation of that tree 
of life which grows by the river of paradise ; for in his 
fruit there was a wonderful variety, and every successive 
season was with him a season of spiritual plenty. He 
not only bore that delicate kind of fruit which requires 
the sunshine of prosperity; but produced, with equal 
luxuriance, those hardier graces which can only be ma- 
tured by the rigours of adversity. 

6. "It is the privilege of every Christian to be united 
to Christ : that as he and the Father are one, so his dis- 
ciples may be one with their adorable Master. This 
privilege, in its lowest sense, is inconceivably estimable 
in the Church of Christ ; but by this eminent servant of 
God it was enjoyed in a more than ordinary degree. 
His union with the blessed Jesus, answerable to the 
greatness of his faith, was intimate and constant. He 
experienced the fulfilment of that condescending pro- 
mise, If any man hear my voice, and open the door, 1 
will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me : 
he obeyed the summons and received the promised visit- 
ant ; and from that time his heart became the dwelling 
place of Christ. There he experienced the teachings of 
uncreated wisdom, and held ineffable communion with 
the Author and Finisher of faith, imbibing abundantly 
the spirit of his Divine Instructer, and sitting under his 
shadow with great delight. By this sacred intercourse, 
continued from day to day, his union with Christ be- 
came so entire, that he was at length enabled to adopt 
the expressive declaration of the great apostle, — J live, 
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. 

7. "The strictness of this union was evinced by his 



300 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



whole disposition and carriage. The mind that was in 
Christ was discovered also in him. He denied himself, 
he took up his cross, and trod in the footsteps of his 
Master. He cheerfully submitted to the yoke of Jesus, 
and was effectually taught by his example to be meek 
and lowly in heart. He breathed the language of uni- 
versal benevolence, and copied the character of his Lord 
with so great exactness that all men took knowledge of 
him that lie had been with Jesus. Fellowship with 
Christ is, with the generality of Christians, a state of 
much uncertainty, and subject to many changes ; but, 
by this holy man, it was well nigh uninterruptedly 
enjoyed, through all the different stages of the spiritual 
life. It was his consolation in the season of adversity, 
and his glory in the day of rejoicing ; it sustained him 
in the hour of temptation, and afforded him peace in the 
midst of trouble. At home or abroad, he still was sit 
ting with Christ Jesus in heavenly places. In sickness 
or health, he daily conferred with this Physician of 
inestimable value. In honour or dishonour, he still was 
dignified with the favour of this everlasting King. In 
short, the whole circle of his Christian friends are ready 
to testify that neither tribulation, nor distress, nor per- 
secution, nor life, nor death were able to separate this 
faithful pastor from the love of Christ ; for whom he 
suffered the loss of all things, and by whose gracious 
presence that loss was abundantly overpaid." 

8. Next to his faith, and the union and communion 
which he had with Christ thereby, we may notice his 
patience and fortitude under the various trials whereby 
his faith and other graces were exercised. " Thou, O 
God, hast tried us like as silver is tried, has been the 
language," observes Mr. Gilpin, " of the faithful in 
every period of the Church : for whom the Lord loveth 
he chasteneth, and scour geth every son whom he receiv- 
eth. Of that chastisement, whereof all the children of 
the kingdom are partakers, Mr. Fletcher was not with- 
out a painful share. He had fellowship with Christ in 
his sufferings, and could bear ample testimony to the 
fatherly corrections of that righteous God whose fire is 
in Sion, and his furnace in Jerusalem-. His trials were 
of various kinds, frequently repeated ; many times of 
long continuance; and on some occasions peculiarly 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



301 



severe. But from whatever quarter his trials arose, 
whether he suffered through bodily infirmity and pain, 
from the infidelity of false brethren, or from the despite- 
fulness of open enemies, he suffered as a man unreservedly 
devoted to the will of God, regarding neither ease nor 
health, the consolations of social intercourse, nor the 
estimation of the world, but so far as they tended to 
promote either the welfare of his brethren, or the glory 
of their common Lord. 

9. " Three things were especially observable in his 
conduct, with respect to trials in general. 

" First. He was careful never to plunge himself into 
difficulties through inadvertence and precipitation. Con- 
scious that his path was encompassed with innumera- 
ble dangers and snares, he proceeded in his course 
with the utmost wariness and circumspection, deliberat- 
ing on the tendency of every expression, and weighing 
the probable consequences of every step. Without 
swerving to the one hand by intemperate zeal, or to the 
other by worldly compliance, he steadily persevered in 
the path of duty, endeavouring to have always a con- 
sole ice void of offence toward God and toward men. 

" Secondly. Wherever he saw a trial awaiting him, in 
the order of Providence, how terrific an aspect soever it 
might wear, he went on to meet it without the least indi- 
cation of despondency or fear. He esteemed no diffi- 
culty too great to be surmounted, no cross too heavy to 
be endured, nor any enemy too strong to be opposed, 
in the way of God's appointment. Here he considered 
himself as under the immediate protection of the 
Almighty, and knowing in whom he believed, he com- 
mitted the keeping of his soul to him in well doing, as 
unto a faithful Creator. 

" Thirdly. He entered into the conflict under a lively 
impression of the truth of that apostolic declaration : 
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation ; for when 
he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life. This 
sentiment sustained him in the day of trouble, and pro- 
duced in him a degree of fortitude proportioned to the 
severity of the trial. He could smile under the languors 
of disease and the violence of pain ; he could hear, with- 
out emotion, the reproaches of malice, and receive, with- 
out resentment, the shafts of ingratitude ; counting it 



302 



LIFE OF REV. J. 1 LETCHER. 



all joy when he fell into divers temptations, and glori* 
fying the Lord in the fiercest fires of affliction. 

10. " But while he discovered an astonishing degree 
of firmness under the sharpest trials, he was a perfect 
stranger to that stoical sullenness which steels the heart 
against the attacks of adversity. His fortitude was sus- 
tained, not by insensibility, but by patience and resigna- 
tion. Through the most afflicting providential dispensa- 
tions his attention was fixed upon that wondrous example 
of patient suffering which was exhibited in the High 
Priest of his profession : and if ever his sensibility con- 
strained him to cry out, Father, if it be possible, let this 
cup pass from me ; his resignation as constantly dis- 
posed him to add, nevertheless, not my will, but thine 
be done. Such was the conduct of Mr. Fletcher with 
respect to trials of every kind. He never created them 
through imprudence ; he never avoided them through 
timidity ; he never endured them, but with an uncom- 
mon share of fortitude and patience : and it may be 
added that he never experienced the removal of a trial 
without thankfully ascribing his support under it, and 
his deliverance from it, to the gracious interference of 
that invisible arm which is mighty to save. 

11. " With such dispositions, it is not difficult to con- 
ceive that, like Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, he held 
communion with the Son of God in the hottest furnace 
of affliction ; so that, like Job, he came forth from the 
most grievous trials as gold purified in the fire. The 
friends he has left behind him can joyfully testify that 
he had learned the happy art of glorying even in tri- 
bulations, from a consciousness that tribulation worketh 
patience ; and patience, experience ; and experience, 
hope. Nay, they are farther prepared to testify that his 
hope was matured into the fullest assurance, when they 
recollect how he would frequently come forth from a 
state of keen distress, repeating the confidential excla- 
mation of the great apostle : Who shall separate us 
from the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or distress, 
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or 
sword ? Nay, in all these things we are more than con* 
querors, through him, that hath loved us." 

12. His devotion to the Lord Jesus was equal to his 
faith in him and his other graces. " Though this be 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



303 



strictly enjoined by the Church," as is justly observed by 
the author last quoted, {Portrait, page 65,) " it is rarely 
discernible in the conduct of her members. As the ma- 
jority of Christians are satisfied with a superficial know- 
ledge of the Redeemer, so their devotion to him is purely 
of a professional nature. Their attachment to Christ 
may dispose them to some few external marks of respect 
toward him, but is insufficient to produce in them any 
single act of genuine obedience or self-denial. They 
reverence his name while they reject his authority ; and 
acknowledge him as a Saviour while they refuse to fol- 
low him as a guide. In all these respects it was totally 
otherwise with the man whose character is here faintly 
delineated. His devotion to Christ was sincere and un- 
reserved, first as a private Christian, and afterward as a 
minister of the Gospel. As a private Christian, he was 
a strict and constant follower of the blessed Jesus, re- 
nouncing, for his sake, all the transient gratifications of 
time and sense. Whatever he had formerly admired 
and pursued, he voluntarily laid at the feet of his Lord. 
Those requisitions of Christ which are generally looked 
upon as strict in the extreme, he submitted to without a 
murmur ; cutting off the right hand, plucking out the 
right eye, and casting away whatever might prove offen- 
sive to his spotless Master, with all the determination 
of a deep-rooted attachment. He cast aside every weight, 
he resisted every sin, and neglected nothing that might 
prove either the sincerity of his zeal, or the fervour of 
his love. He dedicated his time, his studies, his acqui- 
sitions, and his substance to the service of his Lord ; 
and desired to present him, at once, with his whole 
being, as a living sacrifice, expressive of his entire 
devotion. 

13. " As a minister of the Gospel, his devotion to 
Christ was expressed, if possible, in a still more absolute 
manner. He entered more universally into his service, 
and manifested a greater degree of zeal for the honour 
of his name. He imitated his perfections in a more un- 
limited sense, and interested himself more deeply in the 
extension of his kingdom upon earth. His renunciation 
of the world became more complete, and his self-denial 
more strict. He acted with greater resolution, and suf- 
fered with greater firmness in the cause of Christianity 



304 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



His devotion to Christ was now carried to a higher pitch 
than most Christians are willing to believe attainable in 
the present life. He had no interest to serve, no incli- 
nation to gratify, nor any connection to maintain, but 
such as was entirely conformable to the nature of his 
union with the holy Jesus. Wherever he came, he 
breathed the spirit of devotion, and wherever he was 
familiarly known, the purity, the fervour, the resolution, 
and the constancy of that devotion were universally 
apparent. He daily felt and acted in conformity to the 
powerful obligations by which he was bound to the Cap- 
tain of his salvation. His vows of inviolable affection 
and fidelity were solemnly renewed, as occasion offered, 
both in public and in private : and it was wonderful to 
observe, through all the vicissitudes of his Christian 
warfare, how perfect a harmony was maintained be- 
tween his inclinations and his engagements, his habits 
and his profession. It would be very easy to expatiate 
largely under this head, though very difficult to give a 
description, in any tolerable degree, adequate to the 
subject. Instead of presenting the reader with several 
pages upon the point now before us, it shall suffice to 
say that this venerable man's entire devotion to Jesus 
Christ, as a minister of the Gospel, was variously ex- 
pressed, " in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, 
in distresses, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, by 
pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, 
by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of 
truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteous- 
ness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and 
dishonour, by evil report and good report." 

14. Another particular in his character, touched upon 
by Mr. Gilpin, [Portrait, page 252,) is his perfect disin- 
terestedness. "Upon his discovering," says he, "the 
goodly pearl of evangelical truth, Mr. Fletcher, like the 
merchant in the Gospel, immediately bartered his all for 
the possession of so invaluable a gem. Till then he had 
been engaged in pursuits of a worldly nature : but, from 
that time, he sought after no other treasure than the 
unsearchable riches of grace, nor desired any inheritance 
except that which is reserved for the saints in everlast- 
ing light. Through every period of his religious life 
he appeared as a pilgrim and stranger in the world, un- 



LIFE OF REV. J. I [.ETCHER. 



305 



allured by its smiles, unmoved by its frowns, and unin- 
terested in its changes. His affections were wholly 
fixed upon things above ; and while thousands and ten 
thousands were contending around him for the advan- 
tages and honours of the present life, he desired to pass 
unnoticed through its idle hurry, without being entangled 
in its concerns, or encumbered with its gifts. It was 
with him, as with a person engaged in a race, which 
must be attended with immense gain or irreparable loss, 
— he kept his eye immovably fixed upon the goal ; and 
whatever gilded trifles were thrown in his way, he reso- 
lutely trampled on them all, uninterruptedly -pressing 
toward the mark for the prize of his high calling in 
Christ Jesus. His mind was never distracted with a 
multiplicity of objects, nor did he ever mingle temporal 
expectations with eternal hopes. Considering one thing 
only as absolutely necessary to his happiness, while he 
pursued the substance, he rejected the shadow ; and 
while he contended for an incorruptible crown, he had 
no ambition to appear in the fading garlands of earthly 
glory. Possessed of that faith* which over coin eth the 
world, he beheld it with the feelings of his tempted Mas- 
ter : anxious for its good, but despising its yoke ; pre- 
pared to labour in its service, but resolute to reject its 
rewards ; deaf to its promises, blind to its prospects, 
and dead to. its enjoyments. 

15. " He received, indeed, a part of his maintenance 
from the altar at which he served : but so scanty was the 
income produced by his parish, that it scarcely sufficed, 
in some years, for the liberality of his contributions 
toward the relief of the poor. Yet so perfectly satisfied 
was he with his inconsiderable appointments at Madeley, 
that he desired nothing more than to conclude both his 
labours and his life in that favourite village. Had he 
been disposed to improve every favourable opportunity 
of advancing his temporal interests, he might have suc- 
ceeded beyond many who were anxiously plotting and 
contriving the means of their future promotion in the 
world. But as a proof of his superiority to every allure- 
ment of this nature, he peremptorily refused, once and 
again, the offer of additional preferment. And, as a 
farther testimony of his perfect disinterestedness, after 
having so far destroyed his health by the excess of his 

39 



306 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



labours, that he was olliged to retire for a season from 
his charge, he solemnly determined, in case of continued 
weakness, to give up together the profits and duties of 
his ministerial station." 

The reader will recollect the anecdote respecting his 
disinterestedness when in Dublin. But the disposition 
here described was not confined to pecuniary matters. 
It was exemplified through his whole conduct, which 
manifested, upon all occasions, that he acted under the 
entire influence of that disinterested charity which 
seeketh not her own. 

16. And as he regarded not his own temporal interest, 
so neither did he seek his own honour. "Among all 
the candidates for human praise," proceeds Mr. Gilpin, 
{Portrait, page 153,) " there is none more conspicuous 
than the man who exhibits his pretensions to applause 
from the pulpit. Dishonourable as it is to the cause of 
Christianity, the place from which humility and self- 
denial were formerly recommended to the world, is fre- 
quently employed, by modern divines, as a stage for the 
ostentatious display of their superior parts and accom- 
plishments. Preferring the praise of men before the 
honour that cometh from God, multitudes of pastors are 
more solicitous to be ranked with profound theologists, 
elegant scholars, and masters of elocution, than to be 
numbered among the zealous and unaffected preachers 
of the everlasting Gospel. They court the applause of 
the world by seeking after such qualifications as will 
naturally recommend them to its favour ; while they 
secure themselves from its reproaches by carefully 
avoiding whatever might tend to degrade them in its 
estimation. In short, they are abundantly more soli- 
citous for the advancement of their own reputation than 
for the honour of their Master, or the increase of his 
kingdom. 

17. "Between pastors of this description and Mr. 
Fletcher, the most distant resemblance was not to be 
discovered. The favour of God was his ultimate aim 
through life ; and, for the possession of so invaluable a 
privilege, he was content to forego the riches, the friend- 
ship, and even the good opinion of the world. Despising 
the common pursuits of men, he aspired after that true 
greatness which never yet excited the envy of the mighty, 



LIFE OF REV. J . FLETCHER. 



307 



ur the emulation of the ambitious. Whatsoever things 
are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever 
things are of good report, in such things he was daily 
and diligently occupied ; not that the report of his vir- 
tues might raise his reputation among men, but rather 
that he might become an example to the believers, in 
word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in spirit, in 
purity. Though few men have ever had so just a claim 
as himself to universal approbation, yet no man ever 
appeared so perfectly deaf to the siren voice of admira- 
tion and praise. He permitted nothing to be related in 
his presence that apparently tended to his advantage. 
He could hear his actions censured, his opinions con- 
demned, and his character traduced, with an astonish- 
ing degree of silent composure. But if at any time his 
virtues or abilities were mentioned with the least ap- 
pearance of respect, he would instantly put a stop to 
the conversation with an air of severity which he sel- 
dom assumed upon any other occasion. On matters of 
this nature he resolutely refused to hear the voice of the 
charmer, with whatever discretion and delicacy the sub- 
ject might be attempted. He counted himself no bet- 
ter than an unprofitable servant : and, as such, it was 
an invariable rule with him, in every company, to take 
the lowest seat ; which he occupied, not as a man who 
was conscious that his merits entitled him to a more 
honourable place, but rather as one who considered 
himself unworthy of the favour of God, or the notice 
of man. 

18. " As an ambassador of Jesus Christ, he sought 
not his own honour, but the honour of him that sent 
him. Neither exalted by the grace he had received, nor 
elated with his success in the ministry, he still opened 
his commission in every place, in the lowly manner of 
the great apostle : Unto me who aym less than the least 
of all saints is this grace given, that I should preach 
the unsearchable riches of Christ. He counted nothing 
either upon his attainments or his talents. Instead of 
endeavouring to make a pompous display of his excel- 
lences, he studiously concealed them from the notice of 
the world: and whether he was engaged in planting 
with Paul, or in watering with Apollos, he sought to 
turn every eye from the person of the labourer to the 



308 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



presence of that Go;] who alone can give the increase. 
Far from courting the applause of a world in which his 
Lord had been publicly despised and rejected, he was 
sincerely disposed to drink of the cup, and to be baptized 
with the baptism of his Master. 

19. " Instead of toiling for the triumphs of vain glory, 
he inured himself to bear the reproach of the cross : and 
instead of soliciting the smiles of the world, he prepared 
himself to endure the contradiction of sinners. Fully 
persuaded that it is enough for the disciple that he he 
as his Master, he sought after an entire conformity to 
the mind and character of his Lord. Though formed 
to preside, he voluntarily took upon himself the form of 
a servant, and submitted to the lowest offices of conde- 
scension and charity. Though capable, as a preacher, 
of fixing the attention, and raising the admiration of tho 
multitude, he absolutely renounced all pretensions to 
regard, and modestly made himself of no reputation. As 
a proof that he was not ambitious, either of the upper- 
most seats in synagogues, or of honourable saluta- 
tions in places of public resort, he laboured for the 
Church in a state of comparative retirement and obscu- 
rity : manifestly evidencing to all around him that he 
came not to he ministered unto, hut to minister. In this 
unenvied situation of his choice he spent the laborious 
days of a useful life, as unknown, yet well known ; as 
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing ; as poor, yet making 
many rich ; as having nothing, and yet possessing all 
things. Thus, by a patient continuance in well doing, 
he sought for glory, honour, and immortality, unno- 
ticed by the ambitious and the vain, but eminently con- 
spicuous among those ichose praise is not of men, hut 
of God." 

20. Nearly related to his disregard of, and deadness to 
the praise of men, was his humility. " This," continues 
Mr. Gilpin, (Portrait, page 128,) " is at once the ground- 
work and perfection of Christianity. Where this holy 
temper increases in the soul, there every grace is pro- 
portionably carried toward a state of maturity; but 
wherever this is wanting, there, sooner or later, every 
appearance of grace must wither and die : God resisteth 
the proud, hut giveth grace unto the humble. Examples 
of deep humility are uncommon, even in the Church of 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



309 



Christ : but among the rarest examples of this kind, Mr. 
Fletcher must be allowed a distinguished place. From 
nis natural disposition, perhaps no man had ever greater 
opposition to struggle against in his progress to humility; 
but as few professors of religion were ever known to 
resist their natural propensities with so determined a 
resolution, few ever gained so complete a victory over 
themselves as Mr. Fletcher. Lowliness of mind was 
considered, by the generality of his friends, as the most 
distinguished trait in the character of this great man ; 
and it may be truly asserted that no person ever con- 
versed with him, either at home or abroad, without being 
struck with the genuine meekness and simplicity of his 
whole carriage. This admirable disposition, which is 
lovely in the lowest of its possessors, was peculiarly 
striking in him, in whom it shone forth amid an uncom- 
mon variety of accomplishments, and attended with a 
train of excellent graces. 

21. "Wherever he appeared, he was seen, according 
to the advice of St. Peter, completely clothed in humi- 
lity : and though there was something singular in this 
truly Christian garb, yet its unaffected comeliness was 
universally acknowledged and admired. Many who 
think it necessary to appear before God in a state of 
humiliation, come forth from their closets, and walk into 
the world,- with an air of conscious superiority : as 
though it were possible, at the same time, to walk hum- 
bly before God, and haughtily in the presence of their 
fellow creatures. But the man whose character I at- 
tempt to describe, was perfectly consistent with himself. 
Such as he appeared before God in his private acts of 
devotion, such he appeared before men in every pan of 
social and public life. He aspired not after high things, 
but condescended to men of low estate. His family and 
connections, his attainments in science and in grace, 
with whatever else might be considered as tending to 
his advantage, he regarded as matters of trivial esti- 
mation : while, in the lowliness of his heart, he adopted 
the language of the great apostle : God forbid that I 
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I 
unto the world. In honour he preferred all men before 
himself, and never appeared so perfectly satisfied with 



310 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETC flER. 



his station as when his humble employments bespoke 
him the servant of all. So unlimited was his conde- 
scension in this respect, that he esteemed no occupation 
too low or degrading, by which he might benefit his 
neighbour, or by which he might testify respect either 
to God or man. 

22. 44 1 cannot forbear relating here a little circum- 
stance, which may perhaps appear trifling to some, but 
which uncommonly affected me at the time it happened. 
Mr. Fletcher was called out to attend the sick. In the 
meantime a funeral was announced ; and I was happy 
to embrace an opportunity of affording the least assist- 
ance to this venerable man, in the course of his exten- 
sive labours. While I was engaged in reading the office 
on that, occasion, Mr. Fletcher, who had heard at a dis- 
tance the call of the bells, hastily entered the church ; 
and as he passed up the aisle, observing that a young 
lad was officiating in the absence of the clerk, he in- 
stantly took his place, and went through the whole of 
the service with a degree of humility and composure 
thai cannot be expressed. He afterward assured me 
that while he beheld me kindly performing the duty of 
an absent minister, he could not observe the place of an 
inferior servant of the church improperly filled up, with- 
out attempting to supply it himself with a greater degree 
of decorum and reverence. 

23. 44 1 shall here insert another anecdote to the same 
purpose. While Mr. Fletcher continued tutor to the 
young men at Tern hail, he usually attended the minis- 
try of the Rev. Mr. Cartwright, pastor of a neighbour- 
ing church, a man of whose piety and zeal he made fre- 
quent and honourable mention. It was the custom of 
this gentleman frequently to catechize in public the 
children of his parish. And on one of these occasions 
he requested that no person of maturer age, who stood 
in need of instruction, would esteem it a disgrace to ap- 
pear in the number of the catechumens. When no one 
had condescension enough to occupy so mean a station, 
Mr. Fletcher left his seat, and with an air of unaffected 
modesty took his place among the children ; giving a 
public proof, by the depth of his humility, that he was 
in an advanced state of preparation for the highest de~ 
grees of exaltation." 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 311 

24. It was owing to his humility that he was ever 
ready to acknowledge and repair his errors, if at any 
time he was betrayed into any thing that could bear that 
name, which certainly was very seldom. "It is true," 
as Mr. Gilpin has remarked, (Portrait, page 163,) "had 
he ever sat down to a sketch of his own life, an under- 
taking to which he was repeatedly urged by a multitude 
of his friends, it is most probable the world would then 
have been presented with a large detail of those defects 
which were scarcely apparent to any eye but his own. 
It is not meant to be insinuated here that Mr. Fletcher 
was entirely free from those infirmities by which, in 
different degrees, the most exalted characters have been 
tinctured. But it may be safely affirmed that those few 
imperfections were so outnumbered and obscured by his 
uncommon excellences, that they could not long detain 
the eye even of malice itself. The only defect in his 
character which ever fixed the attention, even of those 
who may be suspected to have passed by his merits 
without the regard they deserved, was a certain warmth 
in his temper which has appeared upon a variety of 
occasions. But with respect to this acknowledged warmth, 
it must be allowed by all, that it was at no time disco- 
verable in him, except when he was called forth to act, 
either as a lover of truth or a reprover of sin. In these 
two characters, indeed, he constantly appeared with a 
degree of zeal which gave offence to many ; but which 
was entirely consistent with his high reputation for 
meekness and charity. He was not ashamed, however, 
openly to confess and bewail this apparent defect ; and 
if ever it betrayed him into a mistake, he discovered the 
utmost solicitude till he could make some suitable re- 
paration. I shall content myself with presenting the 
reader with two instances of his conduct in this parti- 
cular. 

25. "In one period of his life he considered himself 
obliged to wield the controversial pen. As the dispute 
was of importance, so it was of long continuance, and 
maintained on all sides with a considerable degree of 
warmth. In the course of the controversy it was object- 
ed against our author that he managed the debate with 
an acrimonious severity, which was equally ill adapted 
both to the nature of his cause, and the characters of 



312 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCKF1 



his opponents. Though this charge mi^ht have been 
retorted upon some of his antagonists with tenfold force, 
yet he frankly admitted it on their part, and stood self- 
abaced amid the loudest plaudits of his friends. Before 
the dispute was completely terminated, his declining 
state of health obliged him to quit the kingdom with 
very little hope of ever visiting it again. But im found 
it impossible to do this, without giving an intimation to 
his opponents that he desired nothing so much as an 
opportunity of embracing them before his departure, 
that, all doctrinal difference apart, he might testify his 
sincere regret on account of having given them the least 
displeasure, and receive from them some condescending 
assurance of reconciliation and good will. Those of 
his antagonists who had generosity sufficient to accept 
his invitation were equally affected and refreshed by the 
solemn interview that succeeded. And some of them, 
who before that time had no personal acquaintance with 
him, expressed the highest satisfaction at being intro- 
duced to the company of one whose air and countenance 
bespoke him fitted rather for the society of angels than 
the conversation of men. 

26. " A second instance of the manner in which he 
acknowledged and repaired his mistakes, is as follows : — 
While he was one day interring a corpse, he was sud- 
denly interrupted in his duty by a voice of execration 
and blasphemy. Instantly, with a look of holy indig- 
nation, he turned to that part of the multitude whence 
the voice appeared to proceed; and singling out, as he 
supposed, the guilty person, he publicly rebuked her in 
terms as severe as the nature of the offence demanded. 
After the service was concluded, he received information 
that his rebuke had been improperly directed — when he 
immediately recalled the people, who were then dispers- 
ing from the grave ; and pointing to the person whom 
he had unwittingly injured, he expressed the utmost 
concern at having confounded the innocent with the 
guilty, and declared that as his error was public, so 
he desired publicly to solicit the pardon of the offended 
party. 

" These may serve as sufficient proofs of the candid 
and condescending manner in which Mr. Fletcher was 
accustomed to acknowledge and repair those uninten- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 313 

tional errors which neither his wisdom nor piety could 
wholly prevent." 

27. The same spirit of humility which made Mr. 
Fletcher so ready to acknowledge his own errors, in- 
duced him to throw the mantle of tender forbearance 
and forgiving love over those of others, especially oi 
such as he had reason to believe, notwithstanding their 
defects, were truly pious, and to discern and esteem the 
image of their heavenly Father in them. "His fellow- 
ship (Portrait, page 125) with these was intimate and 
unreserved. He saluted them as the children of God, 
and honoured them as heirs of an eternal inheritance. 
These were the companions of his choice, both in pub- 
lic and in private : with these he took sweet and solemn 
counsel, and with these he rejoiced to worship in the 
house of God. Whether they were poor or rich, illite- 
rate or learned, bond or free, he considered them as fel- 
low partakers of the same grace, and received them 
without partiality, as the redeemed of the Lord. He 
constantly watched over them for good, and eagerly 
embraced every opportunity of rendering them accept- 
able service. He bore their burdens, he distributed to 
their necessities, he covered their defects, and healed 
their divisions. 

28. " Esteeming all the children of God as members 
one of another, his catholic spirit disdained those unnatu- 
ral partitions by which different parties of Christians 
have endeavoured to separate themselves from each 
other. Sincere worshippers, of every denomination, he 
regarded as fellow citizens with the saints, and of the 
household of God: desiring no greater honour than to be 
counted as their brother, and commanded as their servant. 

" The following are his own expressions : — 4 God for- 
bid that I should exclude from my brotherly affection, 
and occasional assistance, any true minister of Christ, 
because he casts the Gospel net among the Presbyteri- 
ans, the Independents, the Quakers, or the Baptists ! If 
they will not wish me good luck in the name of the 
Lord, I will do it to them. They may excommunicate 
me if their prejudices prompt them to it ; they may build 
up a wall of partition between themselves and me ; but 
in the strength of my God, whose love is as boundless 
as his immensity, I will leap over the wallS 

40 



314 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



29. "Extraordinary as these declarations may appear, 
they are not to be considered as the professions of an 
affected generosity, but as the sincere expressions of a 
heart overflowing with brotherly love. For fully per- 
suaded that a house divided against itself cannot stand, 
Mr. Fletcher was anxious to maintain a state of uninter- 
rupted peace and unanimity in the household of God. 
As a fellow citizen with the saints, he considered him- 
self essentially interested in the weal or wo of his bre- 
thren, and was constantly observed, either mingling his 
tears with those who wept, or triumphing in the joy of 
such as rejoiced before God. Hence, he could not be- 
hold, as an unconcerned spectator, the distress to which 
the Church was exposed in his day, and the dissensions 
by which it was torn in pieces ; but rather as a true dis- 
ciple of that gracious Redeemer who loved the Church, 
and gave himself for it. He was engaged, indeed, in 
those great debates which disturbed the tranquillity of 
the religious world for so long a season ; and during 
those sharp contests he appeared, it is true, in the very 
front of the battle. To all who knew him, however, it 
was sufficiently evident that he entered not into the con 
flict with any design either to signalize himself, or to 
establish the reputation of a party ; but rather to confirm 
and build up the Church in her most holy faith. Zeal 
for God constrained him, upon this occasion, to take up 
a cross which he regarded as almost insupportable ; and 
when he came forth from the retirement he loved, in 
the character of a public disputant, he came forth with 
the language of the evangelical prophet in his mouth : 
for Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jeru- 
salem's sake will I not rest, until the righteousness 
thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation there 
of as a lamp that burnetii. His attacks were constantly 
directed, not against the leaders of any particular sect, 
but against the errors of every sect : and in carrying on 
these attacks he manifested a degree of impartiality and 
candour which few have ever discovered in similar cir- 
cumstances. While he cautiously exposed the apparent 
mistakes of his opponents, he put his own religious 
opinions to a fiery trial ; and whatever was unable to 
stand the severest test he considered as no better than 
vanity and dross. Like the Apostle Paul, he could do 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



315 



nothing knowingly against the truth, but for the truth: 
and, on whatever side this was discoverable, he saluted 
it with all that respect and veneration which effectually 
distinguished him as a lover of truth.* 

30. Through the whole contest he treated his oppo- 
nents with much deference and regard, cordially acknow- 
ledging them as brethren in Christ, and constantly men- 
tioning them as persons whose piety and zeal* could 
scarcely be paralleled. He ardently desired to embrace 
them as his companions in the kingdom and patience 
of their common Master ; and as a standing proof of his 
pacific disposition toward them, one of the last pieces 

* Mr. Rowland Hill, in his Village Dialogues, after having 
exposed an ignorant doctor, who had spoken of a milder law, 
" lowered down to be made more suitable to us in our corrupted 
state;" and had taught "that God would now accept sincere in- 
stead of a perfect obedience:" and that, therefore, "he would put 
up with the innocent infirmities incident to flesh and blood ;" has 
the following note : — 

" This filthy, Antinomian expression I well remember to have 
controverted many years ago, as I found it in one of the late Rev. 
Mr. Fletcher's Checks to Antinomianism ; the great advocate (to 
say the best) of the double refined semi-Pelagianism of the day • 
so inconsistent are those writers with themselves! This old 
heresy (whose proper nest is popery) has been revived in modern 
days under the name of Arminianism ; and the reader is requested 
to weigh the subject, whether their Antinomianism be not a thou- 
sand times worse than what they wantonly charge on others. I 
ask, whatever good may be found among individuals, yet what 
have these modern prevailing notions in general produced through- 
out all Christendom 7 A system of infidelity- has polluted the un- 
derstanding, and therefore it is no wonder, when they talk of the 
fruits of righteousness, that their fruits are found to be the apples 
of Sodom." (Vol. iii, p. 156, 4th edition.) 

Let the attentive and candid reader compare this note of Mr. 
Rowland Hill with Mr. Fletcher's " Appeal to Matter of Fact and 
Common Sense,"' on the subject of original sin, and he will easily 
see with what justice that gentleman charges Mr. Fletcher with 
semi-Pelagianism. Has any writer, since the days of the apostles, 
represented the fallen state of man in a stronger light, or painted 
it in more expressive colours, than he has done in that tract 1 Or 
has any one shown more clearly, or proved more convincingly, 
our need of regenerating and renewing grace % And are not 
his Checks the greatest bulwark against Antinomianism, next to 
the Holy Scriptures, of any publications in the English language 1 
As to his practice, perhaps a more holy man never appeared in 
this country. For a confutation of this most unmerited, "and, I may 
say, groundless insinuation, the reader is referred to the Methodist 
Magazine for January, 1805 ; and to the whole of Mr. Fletcher's 
publications on Divine subjects. 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



he published in the controversy was entitled, TJie Re 
conciliation : a work in which he urged the strongest 
motives to charity and concord, endeavouring, by every 
possible mean, to prevail with the professing part of the 
world to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of 
peace. The following passage, selected from that work 
will sufficiently evince his utter detestation of party 
spirit and divisions in the Christian Church : — " Come 
with me, my Calvinian and Arminian brethren, to the 
temple of peace, where the Lord's banner over you will 
be love, and his mercy will comfort you on every side. 
If there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any 
comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any 
bowels of mercies, fulfil ye the joy of all who wish 
Zion s prosperity : be like minded, having the same 
love, being of one accord, of one mind, submitting 
yourselves one to another in the fear of God. He is 
my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels 
of Jesus Christ ; in whom there is neither Greek nor 
Jew, bond nor free, neither Calvinist nor Arminian, but 
Christ is all in all. My heart is enlarged ; for a re- 
compense in the same, be ye also enlarged, and grant 
me my humble, perhaps my dying request reject not 
my plea for peace. If it be not strong, it is earnest ; 
for (considering my bodily weakness) I write at the 
hazard of my life ; animamque in vuinere pono." 

" Such was the catholic spirit discovered by this great 
man in the warmest of his religious contentions ; such 
was the forbearance and affection which he constantly 
exercised toward the most zealous of his opposers ; 
and such was his anxious concern, that every inferior 
name might be lost in that exalted Name, by which 
alone the world can be saved, saying, in the language 
of his Master, Whosoever shall do the will of my Father 
that is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, 
and mother." 

31. In the meantime, however, he was far from be- 
traying what he knew to be the truth, or from manifest- 
ing any backwardness to stand forth in its defence. 
" Truth," says our author, (Portrait, page 220,) " al- 
though she has many professed admirers, yet seldom 
finds a steady follower, and still less frequently a reso- 
lute defender. Without a solid understanding, an up- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



317 



right heart, and an unconquerable resolution, no man is 
properly qualified to maintain the rights of truth. He 
that is void of understanding will never discover the 
worth of truth : he that is destitute of an upright heart 
will feel but little attachment to truth, notwithstanding 
all her worth ; while he that is of an irresolute temper 
will rather desert her standard than suffer in her cause. 
Balaam was eminently distinguished by a spirit of dis- 
cernment, but was destitute of an upright heart : Peter 
was possessed of an upright heart, but betrayed, on a 
memorable occasion, the want of an undaunted spirit : 
Saul, the Pharisee, though remarkable for his upright- 
ness and resolution, was miserably defective with respect 
to spiritual discernment ; while Paul, the apostle, uniting 
in his character these several qualifications, became a 
zealous and steady defender of truth." It would be dif- 
ficult to say in which of these three qualifications Mr. 
Fletcher principally excelled ; so happily proportioned 
was his sincerity to his discernment, and the firmness 
of his resolution to the uprightness of his heart ! Thus 
remarkably furnished for the service of truth, he engaged 
himself in her cause with an extraordinary decree of 
activity and zeal, earnestly desiring to see the uttermost 
parts of the earth illuminated with her beams, and the 
inhabitants of every country submitting to her authority. 
Wherever he came, he exalted her honours, and bore 
testimony to her matchless worth, making mention of 
her ways as ways of pleasantness and recommending 
her paths as paths of peace. 

32. "Whenever he saw spiritual truth triumphant, he 
rejoiced at the sight as one that findeth great spoil : 
when he beheld her despised and rejected, he cheerfully 
shared her disgrace, and suffered in her cause. If her 
excellences were at any time obscured by the miscon- 
ceptions of the ignorant, he endeavoured to dissipate 
that obscurity, and exhibit her to the world in all her 
native lustre. If he saw her assaulted, he voluntarily 
exposed himself to danger in her defence : and whether 
the attack was made by mistaken friends, or inveterate 
enemies, he opposed it as a man wholly proof against 
the undue influence of prejudice or interest, resentment 
or respect. In all his struggles for truth, he contended 
with confidence, but without obstinacy; with zeal, but 



318 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



not with bitterness ; in meekness instructing those thai 
opposed themselves, if God, per adventure, might give 
them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. If 
the error he discovered was merely of a circumstantial 
nature, he pursued it with less severity ; but if it was 
a fundamental error, he opposed it with a holy vehe- 
mence, giving it no quarter, till it was allowed, by the 
candid and impartial, to be absolutely untenable : in 
the meantime, making it abundantly manifest, by his 
modest and courteous deportment, that he contended 
not for the acquisition of victory, but for the exaltation 
of truth. 

33. " His ardent attachment to Divine truth would not 
permit him to hear, in silence, the least insinuation that 
might be thrown out to the disadvantage of Christianity. 
And in some companies he thought it necessary to call 
upon the avowed despisers of revelation either to esta- 
blish or retract the charges they had exhibited against 
the religion of Jesus. In England he very rarely mixed 
with persons of an irreligious conversation ; but in his 
passage through other countries he was frequently 
obliged to associate with men of a character altogether 
opposite to his own. In Italy, France, and Holland, 
he has taken his seat, with a steady composure, among 
Deists, Socinians, and Freethinkers ; and after vainly 
endeavouring, in the politest manner, to introduce a 
conversation respecting Divine truth, has been often 
constrained to signify his desire of exchanging an argu- 
ment with any gentleman in company, on the subject 
of natural religion, As these offers were always made 
in the most graceful terms, they were frequently ac- 
cepted in a becoming manner, when a conversation has 
usually taken place, sufficiently interesting to excite the 
curiosity and engage the attention of every person pre- 
sent. Upon every occasion of this nature he appeared 
perfectly dispassionate and recollected, discovering an 
accurate acquaintance with every part of his subject, 
and never failing to foil his strongest antagonists upon 
their own ground. And in the close of every such de- 
bate, he was careful to recapitulate the principal argu- 
ments which had been advanced by either party in the 
course of the contest ; ascribing the victory he had 
obtained to the irresistible power of truth, and enume- 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



319 



rating the special advantages of revealed over natural 
religion." 

34. We have noticed Mr. Fletcher's affection for the 
children of God : we must now observe that while he 
loved them with a pure heart fervently in proportion as 
he conceived they severally exhibited the excellences 
and perfections of their Creator he looked upon every 
individual of the human race with emotions of benevo- 
lence and charity. For in all he discovered some traces 
of the image of the Deity, although defaced and obscured, 
which merited attention even in ruins. " His love was 
free and unconfined, uninterrupted by prejudice, and 
unmixed by suspicion. [Portrait, page 121.) He had 
a place in his large and generous heart for persons of 
every description. He considered himself as related to 
the inhabitants of every nation, and connected with the 
members of every Church : appearing, in every sense, 
as a citizen of the world, honouring the whole human 
race as the offspring of God, and encircling them all 
with the arms of brotherly affection, however distin- 
guished from one another by situation or endowments, 
opinions or habits. He never left his beloved retire- 
ment, which was rendered sacred by converse with the 
highest object of his affections, unless he was called 
abroad upon errands of kindness and mercy. And when- 
ever he came forth into the world, he looked upon all 
around with an air of benignity and a glow of affection, 
which strongly marked him as a follower of that God 
u>tio is loving unto every man, and whose mercy is over 
all his works. 

"Instead of inquiring, with the lawyer in the Gospel, 
Who is my neighbour ? he acted like the good Sama- 
ritan, treating even the stranger and the outcast, as he 
journeyed through life, with the kindness of a neigh- 
bour, the sympathy of a friend, and the tenderness of a 
brother. While self-love may be likened to a stagnant 
lake, the charity of this self-renouncing pastor may be 
fitly compared to a copious river, which, after enrich- 
ing a multitude of towns, villages, and hamlets, and 
after fertilizing a thousand fields, loses itself in the 
bosom of the ocean, from whence it sprung. And here 
it may be properly observed that this noble current 
was sufficiently deep td sustain any burden, and suffi* 



320 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



ciently rapid to force itself a passage through every 
obstruction. 

" His love was without dissimulation f not fn word, 
neither in tongue, but in deed, and in truth. It was 
larger than his largest professions, and appeared, on 
different occasions, in a vast variety of forms ; in con- 
descension, in compassion, in hospitality, in forbearance 
in kindness, and in liberality. By these benevolent dis 
positions, together with those affectionate labours in 
which he was constantly employed, he gave the most 
convincing proofs that he was rooted and grounded in 
that universal love which is the fulfilling of the whole 
law." 

35. The source of all these graces, which shone so 
conspicuous in him, was his piety. " But this (Portrait, 
page 35)- was of too exalted a nature to admit of any 
adequate description. They who saw him only at a 
distance revered him as a man of God ; while they who 
enjoyed a nearer acquaintance with him were held in a 
state of constant admiration at his attainments in the 
Divine life. He appeared to enjoy an uninterrupted 
fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus 
Christ. Every day was with him a day of solemn self- 
dedication, and every hour an hour of praise or prayer. 
Naturally formed for pre-eminence, no common degrees 
of grace were sufficient to satisfy his unbounded desires. 
He towered above the generality of Christians, earnestly 
desiring the best gifts, and anxious to walk in the mos\ 
excellent way. While others are content to taste the 
living stream, he traced that stream to its source, and 
lived at the fountain head of blessedness. He was 
familiar with invisible objects, and constantly walked as 
in the presence of God. To those who were much con- 
versant with him, he appeared as an inhabitant of a bet- 
ter world ; so perfectly dead was he to the enjoyments 
of the present life, and so wholly detached from its 
anxious cares ! Wherever he was called by the provi- 
dence of God, he was acknowledged as a burning and 
shining light. The common lights of Christians were 
eclipsed before him ; and even his spiritual friends could 
never stand in his presence without being overwhelmed 
with a consciousness of their own inferiority and unpro- 
fitableness. While they have seen him rising, as it 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER 



321 



were, upon the wings of an eagle, they have been con- 
founded at their inability to pursue his flight; and while 
he has given way to the emotions of his fervent love, 
they have blushed at their own ingratitude and luke- 
warmness. The candle of the Lord eminently shone 
upon his head, and the secret of God ivas upon his 
tabernacle. When he went out through the city, or took 
his seat in the company of the righteous, he was saluted 
with unusual reverence, and received as an angel of God. 
The young men saw him and hid themselves, and the 
aged arose and stood up. Even those who were ho- 
noured as princes among the people of God, refrained 
talking, and laid their hand upon their mouth. When 
the ear heard him, then it blessed him ; and when the 
eye saw him, it gave witness to him. 

36. " His character was free from those inconsisten- 
cies which are too generally observable among the pro- 
fessors of Christianity. Whether he sat in the house, 
or whether he walked by the way ; in his hours of re- 
tirement, and in his public labours ; he was constantly 
actuated by the same spirit. When he spoke, his con- 
versation was in heaven : and the hearts of his intimate 
friends still burn within them on every recollection of 
the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. 
When he was silent, his very air and countenance be- 
spoke an angelic mind, absorbed in the contemplation 
of God. When he was engaged in the ordinary actions 
of life, he performed them with such a becoming serious- 
ness, that they assumed a striking and important appear- 
ance. In all the changing circumstances of life, he 
looked and acted like a man whose treasure was laid up 
in heaven. There his affections were immovably fixed, 
and thitherward he was continually tending with all the 
powers of his soul: he spoke of it as the subject of his 
constant meditation, and looked to it as travellers to 
their appointed home. At times, when the pious breath- 
ings o^ his soul were too forcible to be repressed, he 
would break forth into expressions of adoration among 
his spiritual associates, and cry out, while tears of joy 
were bursting from his eyes, My God! m,y Saviour ! 
thou art mine ! A wretch unworthy of thy notice ! Yet 
thou hast visited me with thy mercy, and honoured me 
with thy favour ! I adore thine unfathomable love ! Ye 

41 



322 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



who have tasted of his grace, assist me to magnify his 
name. He was an instrument always in time : and none 
can tell, but those who have heard, how sweetly it would 
answer to the touch of him that strung it. He was an 
instrument of uncommon compass, and wondrously 
adapted to every occasion. Every breath that swept 
over the chords of this living lyre drew from it some 
according sound : if from man, it produced strains of 
affection and sympathy ; if from God, it called forth 
higher sounds of gratitude and devotion. His piety suf- 
fered no event to pass by unimproved. Every object led 
him into the presence of God, and every occurrence gave 
rise to a train of serious reflections." 

37. One thing more, particularly noticed by the reve- 
rend author of these excellent traits of our pious friend's 
character, is the perseverance of his piety, zeal, and 
diligence to the end of his life. "It is no unusual 
thing," he observes, (Portrait, page 327,) "to behold 
the professors of Christianity divested, at a maturer 
age, of that burning love and that irresistible zeal by 
which they were peculiarly distinguished in early life. 
Of the many thousands who have, in every age, begun 
the sacred race with an apparent determination to obtain 
the prize, the greater part, either wearied with the in- 
conveniences of the way, or deluded by the suggestions 
of the world, if they have not altogether forsaken the 
path of life, have proceeded in it with so much irresolu- 
tion and weakness, that at the conclusion of their course 
it has remained a matter of much uncertainty, whether 
they have reached or fallen short of the mark of their 
high calling. With Mr. Fletcher it was wholly the re- 
verse. The resolution that at first engaged him to enter 
upon the Christian course appeared, not only without 
any diminution, but with increasing vigour, through the 
several stages of his rapid progress. He outran the 
most zealous of his companions, he overtook many who 
were steadily persevering in the path of life, and ap- 
peared at the head of those who were pressing after 
the highest attainable state of sanctity and grace. From 
the commencement to the conclusion of his pilgrimage, 
there was never once perceived in him the least imagi- 
nable tendency to a loitering or lukewarm disposition : 
if he was not every moment actually upon the stretch 



LIFE Gl REV. J. FLETCHER. 



323 



after spiritual improvement, he was observed, at least, 
with " his loins girded, his shoes on his feet, and his 
staff in his hand." The fervour of his spirit was a silent, 
but sharp reproof to the negligent and unfaithful : and 
so perfectly averse was he to every species of trifling, 
that no man of a light or indolent spirit could possibly 
associate with him for any length of time. 

38. "As he approached the end of his course, the 
graces he had kept in continual exercise for so long a 
season became more illustrious and powerful : his faith 
was more assured, his hope more lively, his charity 
more abundant, his humility more profound, and his re- 
signation more complete. Planted at an early age in 
the house of the Lord, he flourished in the courts of om 
God through all the remaining years of his life, growing 
up like a palm tree, and spreading abroad like a cedar 
in Lebanon : and if the fruit that he brought forth in 
his age was not more plenteous than that which he had 
produced in former years, (which was surely impossi- 
ble,) yet it was more happily matured, and more equally 
distributed among his luxuriant branches. To those 
who were intimately conversant with him at this season 
he appeared as a scholar of the highest attainments in 
the school of Christ ; or rather, as a regenerate spirit in 
his latest state of preparation for the kingdom of God : 
and this extraordinary eminence in grace was discover- 
able in him, not from any high external professions of 
sanctity, but from that meekness of wisdom, that purity 
of conversation, and that lowliness of mind, by which 
his whole carriage was uniformly distinguished. 

39. " For some years before his decease, he expressed 
a continual desire that his labours and his life might be 
terminated together: and with respect to his resigned 
prayer in this matter, the assertion of the psalmist was 
strikingly verified, " The Lord will fulfil the desire of 
them that fear him." His zeal for the glory of God 
appeared with undiminished fervour, and his diligence 
in filling up the duties of his vocation continued with 
unabating vigour till within a few days of his removal into 
Abraham's bosom. Instead of outliving his zeal and 
diligence in the best of causes, it may truly be said that 
he fell an honourable martyr to his indefatigable exer- 
tions in the service of the Church: since it was from 



324 



LIPE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



the beds of the diseased and the dying that he brought 
away with him the infectious distemper which put so 
unexpected a period to his labours. But even aiter the 
symptoms of this distemper had appeared sufficiently 
alarming to awaken the apprehensions of his friends, 
they were unable either to damp his zeal, or to control 
his activity : his declining sun was to set, not in obscu- 
rity and confusion, but with that mild and steady lustre 
which might betoken something of its future glory." 



CHAPTER XI. 

His Character by Mrs. Fletcher and others. 

1. Having, in the preceding chapter, presented the 
reader with the character of Mr. Fletcher, drawn by the 
masterly pen of the Rev. Mr. Gilpin, a near neighbom 
and intimate friend, who knew him well, I shall now 
offer to his consideration one equally just and striking, 
drawn by a person still more intimate with him, and 
more thoroughly acquainted with his manner of life, and 
the most secret springs of his whole deportment. 
" From Mrs. Fletcher," as Mr. Wesley has observed, 
"he concealed nothing. They had no secrets with regard 
to each other, but had indeed one house, one purse, and 
Oi:e heart. Before her it was his invariable rule to think 
aloud: always to open the window in his breast. And 
to this we are indebted for the knowledge of many par- 
ticulars which must otherwise have been buried in 
oblivion." 

2. The following are mostly her cwn words, for where 
they are clear and expressive, as they generally are, it 
is not judged right to alter them for altering 's sake. 

" Whatever he might be with regard to charity" says 
she, " he vvas no less eminent for the spirit of faith. 
Indeed, he was not so much influenced by impressions 
(which many mistake for faith) as abundance of people 
have been ; but by a steady, firm reliance upon the love, 
and truth, and faithfulness of God. His ardent desire 
wa« so to beliove as to become a partaker of all tho 



LIFE OF REV. j FLETCHER. 



325 



great and precious promises : to be a witness of all that 
mind which was in Christ Jesus. And being conscious 
that he must be crucified with his Master, or never reign 
with him, he gave himself up to him, to lie in his hand 
as the passive clay. He would often say, 4 It is my busi- 
ness, in all events, to hang upon the Lord, with a sure 
trust and confidence that he will order all things for the 
best, as to time and manner. Indeed, it would be easy 
to be a believer ; nay, in truth, there would be no room 
for faith, if every thing were seen here. But against 
hope to believe in hope ; to have a full confidence in that 
unseen power which so mightily supports us in all our 
dangers and difficulties, this is the believing which is 
acceptable to God.' Sometimes when I have expressed 
some apprehension of an approaching trial, he would 
answer, * I do not doubt but the Lord orders all wisely ; 
therefore I leave every thing to him.' In outward dan- 
gers, if they were ever so great, he seemed to know 
no shadow of fear. When I was speaking once, con- 
cerning a danger to which we were then particularly 
exposed, he answered, 4 1 know God always gives his 
angels charge concerning us : therefore we are equally 
safe everywhere.' 

3. 44 Not less eminent than his faith was his humility 
Amid all his labours for God and for the good of souls, 
he ever preserved that special grace, the making no 
account of his own labours. He held himself and his 
own abilities in very low esteem; and seemed to have 
that word continually before his eyes, 4 1 am an unprofit- 
able servant.' And this humility was so rooted in him, 
as to be moved by no affront. I have known many, even 
of the most provoking kind, offered him ; but he received 
them as his proper portion; being so far from desiring 
the honour which cometh of men, that he took pleasure 
in being little and unknown." 44 Perhaps it might ap- 
pear," observes Mr. Wesley, 44 from some passages of 
his life, that in this he even leaned to an extreme. For 
genuine humility does not require that any man should 
desire to he despised. Nay, we are to avoid it, so far as 
we possibly can, consistently with a good conscience ; 
for that direction, Let no man despise thee, concerns 
every man as well as Timothy." 

<4 ft is rare," proceeds Mrs. Fletcher, 44 to meet with 



326 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



an eminent person who can bear an equal. But it was 
his choice and his delight to prefer every one to himself. 
And this he did in so free and easy a manner, that in 
him it appeared perfectly natural. He never willingly 
suffered any unkindness shown to him to be mentioned 
again : and if it were, he generally answered, 6 O let it 
drop ; we will offer it in silence to the Lord.' And in- 
deed the best way of bearing crosses is to present them 
all in silence to God. 

4. " From this root of humility sprung such patience 
as i wish I could either describe or imitate. It produced 
in him a mind most ready to embrace every cross with 
alacrity and pleasure. For the good of his neighbour, 
nothing seemed hard, nothing wearisome. Sometimes 
1 have been grieved to call him out of his study two or 
three times in an hour : especially when he was engaged 
in composing some of his most important works. But 
he would answer with his usual sweetness, ' O my dear, 
never mind that. It matters not, if we are but ready to 
meet the will of God. It is conformity to the will of God 
that alone makes an employment excellent.' He never 
thought any thing too mean, but sin ; he looked on 
nothing else as beneath his character. If he overtook a 
poor man or woman on the road, with a burden too heavy 
for them, he did not fail to offer his assistance to bear 
part of it. And he would not easily take a denial. This 
proof indeed of condescension and kindness he has fre- 
quently given. 

64 In bearing pain he was most exemplary, and con- 
tinued to be more and more so to the last. Nor was his 
descending to the capacities of the ignorant the least 
remarkable or least humbling part of his ministry. And 
he had a most resolute courage in reproving of sin. To 
daring sinners, it is well known, he was a son of thun- 
derj and no worldly considerations were regarded when- 
ever he believed God had given him a message to deliver 
to any of them. 

5. " One considerable part of humility is, to know our 
own places, and stand therein. Every member has its 
peculiar appointment in the human body, where the wise 
Creator has placed it. And it is well that each should 
continue in its place. For every dislocated bone gives 
pain, and causes disorder, and must continue so to do, 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



327 



till it be replaced in its proper socket. Just so every 
dislocated affection or disposition must occasion dis- 
order, give pain to the soul, till it be restored to its own 
place ; till it be entirely fixed on, or resigned to God ; 
till a person gives his whole self to the disposal of in- 
finite Wisdom. This is the proper place of every ra- 
tional creature ; and in this place he invariably stood. 
Whatever he believed to be the will of God he resolutely 
performed, though it were to pluck out a right eye, or 
to lay his Isaac on the altar. When it appeared that 
God called him to any journey, he immediately prepared 
for it without the least hesitation : although, for the last 
three or four years of his life, he hardly ever travelled 
to any considerable distance without feeling some ten- 
dency to a relapse into his former disorder. And it was 
generally some weeks after his return before he reco 
vered his usual strength." 

6. His disengagedness from the world and love of the 
poor, Mrs. Fletcher joins together. " Never," says she, 
" did I behold any one more dead to the things of the 
world. His treasure was above ; and so was his heart 
also. He always remembered that admonition of the 
apostle, No man that warreth entangleth himself with 
the things of this world. It w r as his constant endeavour 
to preserve a mind free and disencumbered : and he was 
exceeding wary of undertaking any business that might 
distract and hurry it. Nevertheless, in his worldly con- 
cerns, knowing himself to be a steward for God, he would 
not, through carelessness, w r aste one penny. He like- 
wise judged it to be his bounden duty to demand what 
he knew to be his right. And yet he could well recon- 
cile this with that word, He that will have thy coat, let 
him have thy cloak also* But whether he had less or 
more, it was the same thing upon his own account; as 
he had no other use for it, after frugally supplying his 
own wants, and the wants of those dependent on him, 
but to spread the Gospel, and assist the poor. And he 
frequently said he was never happier than when he had 

* The income of his living was not, on an average, more than 
a hundred pounds per annum. For many of the people called 
Quakers, living in his parish, believed it unlawful to pay tithes ; 
and Mr. Fletcher did not choose to take from them by force what 
they did not think it lawful to give him. 



328 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



given away the last penny he had in his house. If t 
any time I had gold in my drawers, it seemed to aff /d 
him no comfort. But if he could find a handful of small 
silver when he was going out to see the sick, he would 
express as much pleasure over it, as a miser would in 
discovering a bag of hid treasure. He was never bet- 
ter pleased with my employment than when he had set 
me to prepare food or physic for the poor. He was 
hardly able to relish his dinner if some sick neighbour 
had not a part of it ; and sometimes when any of them 
was in want, I could not keep the linen in his drawers. 
On Sundays he provided for numbers of people who 
came from a distance to hear the word : and his house, 
as well as his heart, was devoted to their convenience. 
To relieve them that were afflicted in body and mind 
was the delight of his heart. Once a poor man, who 
feared God, being brought into great difficulties, he took 
down all the pewter from the kitchen shelves, saying, 
6 This will help you, and I can do without it : a wooden 
trencher will serve me just as well.' In epidemic and 
contagious distempers, when the neighbours were afraid 
to nurse the sick, he has gone from house to house, 
seeking some that were willing to undertake that office. 
And when none could be found, he has offered his ser- 
vice to sit up with them himself. But this was at his 
first coming to Madeley. At present there is in many, 
(and has been for many years,) a most ready mind to 
visit and relieve the distressed. 

7. " He thoroughly complied with that advice, — 

' Give to all something : to a good, poor man, 
Till thou change hands, and be where he began.' 

I have heard him say that, when he lived alone in his 
house, the tears have come into his eyes when five oi 
six insignificant letters have been brought him, at three 
or fourpence apiece ; and perhaps he had only a single 
shilling in the house to distribute among the poor, to 
whom he was going. He frequently said to me, 1 O 
Polly, can we not do without beer? Let us drink water, 
and eat less meat. Let our necessities give way to the 
extremities of the poor.' 

8. " But with all his generosity and charity he was 
strictlv careful to follow the advice of the apostle, Owe 



t 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



329 



no man any thing-. He contracted no debt. While he 
gave all he had, he made it a rule to pay ready money 
for every thing ; believing this was the best way to keep 
the mind unencumbered and free from care. Mean- 
while his substance, his strength, his life were devoted 
to the service of the poor. And, last of all, he gave me 
to them. For when we were married, he asked me 
solemnly, 4 Whether I was willing to marry his parish ?' 
And the first time he led me among his people in this 
]lace, he said, * I have not married this wife only for 
myself, but for you. I asked her of the Lord for your 
comfort, as well as my own.' 

9. " All his life, as well as during his illness, particu- 
larly at Newington and Brislington, (as has been largely 
related,) he was grateful, in a very high degree, to those 
who conferred the least benefit upon him, yea, or even 
endeavoured so to do." 

It will be pleasing and edifying to the reader to see 
how he was wont to express his gratitude on these occa- 
sions. To one he says : — " Your absence made me post- 
pone thanking you for all the kindness you showed me 
when at Bristol ; and to lay me under still greater obli- 
gations, you have sent me a hamper of wine and broad- 
cloth ; as if it were not enough to adorn and cover the 
outside, but you must also warm and nourish the inside 
of the body. 

" I have now the opportunity of telling you, without 
farther delay, that you should have a little mercy on 
your friends, in not loading them with such burdens of 
beneficence. How would you like to be loaded with 
kindnesses you could not return ? Were it not for a lit- 
tle of that grace which makes us not only willing, but 
happy, to be nothing — to be obliged and dependent 
— your presence would make me quite miserable. 
But the mountains of Divine mercy which press down 
my soul, have inured me to bear the hills of brotherly 
kindness. 

" I submit to be clothed and nourished by you, as your 
servants are, without having the happiness of serving 
you. To yield to this is as hard to friendship as to 
submit to be saved by free grace, without one scrap of 
our own righteousness. However, we are allowed, both 
in religion and friendship, to ease ourselves by thanks 

42 



330 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



and prayers, till we have an opportunity of doing it by 
actions. I thank you, then, my dear friend, and pray to 
God that you may receive his benefits as I do yours. 
Your broadcloth can lap me around two or three times ; 
but the mantle of Divine love, the precious fine robe of 
Jesus' righteousness, can cover your soul a thousand 
times. The cloth, fine and good as it is, will not keep 
out a hard shower ; but that garment of salvation will 
keep out a shower of brimstone and fire. Your cloth 
will wear out, but that fine linen, the righteousness of 
the saints, will appear with a finer lustre the more it is 
worn. The moth may fret your present, or the tailor 
may T spoil it in cutting ; but the present which Jesus has 
made you is out of the reach of the spoiler, and ready 
for present wear ; nor is there any fear of cutting it oul 
wrong ; for it is seamless, woven from the top through 
out, with the white unbroken warp of thirty-three years' 
perfect obedience, and the red weft of his agony and 
sufferings unto death. 

"Now, my dear friend, let me beseech you 'to accept 
of this heavenly present, as I accept of your earthly one. 
I did not send you one farthing to purchase it ; it came 
unsought, unasked, unexpected, as the Seed of the wo- 
man ; and it came just as I was sending a tailor to buy 
me some cloth for a new coat ; immediately I stopped 
him, and I hope when you next see me, it will be in 
your present. Now let Jesus see you in his. Walk in 
white, adorn his Gospel, while he beautifies you with 
the garment of salvation. Accept it freely: wear no 
more the old, rusty coat of nature and self-righteous- 
ness : send no more to have it patched : # make your 
boast of an unb ought suit ; and love to wear the livery 
of Jesus. You will then love to do his work : it will 
be your meat and drink to do it : and that you may be 
vigorous in doing it, as I shall take a little of your wine 
for my stomach's sake, take you a good deal of the wine 
of the kingdom for your soul's sake. Every promise 
of the Gospel is a bottle, a cask, that has a spring with- 
in, and can never be drawn out. But draw the cork of 
unbelief, and drink abundantly, O beloved, nor be afraid 

* Mr. Fletcher's generous friend had kindly requested Mm no* 
to send his coat to be patched ; hence this ingenious and affection- 
ate reply. 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



331 



of intoxication ; and if an inflammation follow, it will 
only be that of Divine love. 

" I beg you will be more free with the heavenly wine, 
than I have been with the earthly, which you sent me : 
I have not tasted it yet, but whose fault is it ? Not yours, 
certainly, but mine. If you do not drink daily spiritual 
health and vigour out of the cup of salvation, whose 
fault is it ? Not Jesus' but yours ; for he gives you 
his righteousness to cover your nakedness, and the con- 
solations of his Spirit to cheer and invigorate your souk 
Accept and use. Wear, drink, and live to God. That 
you may heartily and constantly do this, is my sincere 
prayer for you and yours." 

To the same, he writes at another time : — " I thank 
you, my dear friend, for all your favours, and all your 
attention to me. Your more than fraternal love covers 
me with confusion, and fills me with acknowledgments. 
What returns shall I make ? I will drink the cup of 
thanksgiving, and I will bless the name of the Lord. I 
will thank my dear friend, and wish him all the temporal 
blessings he has conferred upon me, and all those spi- 
ritual ones which were not in his power to bestow. 
Live in health ; live piously ; live content ; live in Christ ; 
live for eternity ; live to make your wife, your children, 
your servants, your neighbours happy, as far as their 
happiness depends on you; and may the God of all 
grace give back a hundredfold to you and your dear 
wife, all the kindnesses with which you have loaded me ! 
The Lord make you happy as a father, a master, and a 
Christian ! The God of peace be with you without 
interruption !" 

To another, his language on some similar occasion 
is, " Your kind letter I received in the beginning of the 
week, and your kind present at the end of it. For both 
I heartily thank you ; nevertheless, I could wish it were 
your last present, for I find it more blessed to give than 
to receive ; and in point of the good things of this life, 
my body does not want much, and I can do with what 
is more common, and cheaper than the rarities you ply 
me with. 

" Your bounty upon bounty reminds me of the re- 
peated mercies of our God. They follow one another 
as wave does wave at sea ; and all to waft us to the 



332 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



pleasing shore of confidence and gratitude, where wf 
can not only cast anchor near, but calmly stand on the 
Rock of ages, and defy the rage of tempests." 

10. " Another uncommon talent which God had given 
him," says Mrs. Fletcher, " was a peculiar sensibility 
of spirit. He had a temper the most feeling of any 1 
ever knew. Hardly a night passed over, but some part 
of it was spent in groans for the souls and bodies com- 
mitted to his care. I dreaded his hearing either of the 
sins or sufferings of any of his people, before the time 
of his going to bed, knowing how strong the impressions 
would be on his mind, chasing sleep from his eyes. 

" And yet I have heard him speak of a time, twelve or 
fourteen years ago, when he was greatly tempted to 
think that he was not sensible enough of the afflictions 
of his fellow creatures. He thought Christ bore our 
infirmities, and carried our sorrows : but, said he, 6 1 have 
not that Christlike temper: I do not bear the sorrows 
of others. After being for some time buffeted with this 
temptation, he prayed that a measure of this spirit 
might be given to him. Not long after, as he was visit- 
ing a poor sick family, so lively a sense of their afflic- 
tion on a sudden fell upon his mind, that he could scarce 
get home. As soon as he sat down in his house, his 
soul was penetrated with such a sense of the woes of 
mankind as utterly depressed and overcame him, and 
drank up his spirits, insomuch that he could not help 
himself, nor move from one chair to another ; and he 
was no more able to walk or help himself than a new- 
born child. At the same time he seemed to lose the use 
of his memory, and of all his faculties. He thought, 
What is this ? Is it a disease ? Is it a stroke of the palsy ? 
Rather is it not an answer to my own ill judged, though 
well intended prayer? Did I not ask a burden unsuitable 
to a finite, and capable of being borne only by an infinite 
Being ? He remained some hours in this situation. Then 
it came into his mind, If this be a purely natural event, 
the will of the Lord be done ! But if it be the answer 
to an improper prayer, God will answer again by remov- 
ing it. He cried to the Lord, and was restored to 
strength both of body and mind. 

11. " When we were at Leeds in the year 1784, I had 
another proof of the tender sensibility of his heart. O 



1 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



333 



how deeply was he affected for the welfare of his bre- 
thren ! When any little disputes arose between them, his 
inmost soul groaned under the burden. And by two or 
three o'clock in the morning, I was sure to hear him 
breathing out prayers for the peace and prosperity of 
Sion. When I observed to him, I was afraid it would 
hurt his health, and wished him to sleep more, he would 
answer, 8 O Polly, the cause of God lies near my heart V 

" Toward me his tenderness was exerted in its utmost 
extent. My soul, my body, my health, my ease and 
comfort were his daily study. We had no thought, either 
past or present, which we purposely concealed from 
each other. My spiritual advancement was his constant 
endeavour ; and to this he was continually stirring me 
up, inviting me to walk more closely with God ; urging 
that thought, 6 O my dear, let us pray for dying grace ; 
for we shall not be here long.' His temporal affairs he 
committed solely to me, though he was always ready to 
assist me in the smallest matters. 

12. ''One article more remains to be spoken of, 
namely, his communion with God. Although he enjoyed 
this, more or less, at all times, and in all places, yet I 
have frequently heard him observe that the seasons of 
his closest communion were always in his own house, or 
in the church : usually in the latter. It is much to be 
lamented that we have no account of it from his own 
pen. It was his constant endeavour to set the Lord be- 
fore him, and to maintain an uninterrupted sense of his 
presence. In order to this, he was slow of speech, and 
had the greatest government of his words. Indeed, he 
both acted, and spoke, and thought, as under the eye of 
God. And thus he remained unmoved in all occur- 
rences ; at all times and on every occasion possessing 
inward recollection. Nor did I ever see him diverted 
therefrom on any occasion whatever, either going out 
or coming in, whether by ourselves or in company, 
Sometimes he took his journeys alone ; but above a 
thousand miles I have travelled with him ; during which 
neither change of company, nor of place, nor the variety 
of circumstances which naturally occur in travelling, 
ever seemed to make the least difference in his firm 
attention to the presence of God. To preserve this 
tin i form habit of soul, he was so watchful and recollected, 



334 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



that to such as were unexperienced in these things 
it might appear like insensibility. But no one could 
converse in a more lively and sensible manner, even on 
natural things, when he saw it was to the glory of God. 
He was always striving to raise his own, and every other 
spirit, to a close and immediate intercourse with God. 
And I can say, with truth, all his union with me was so 
intermingled with prayer and praise that every employ- 
ment, and every meal, was, as it were, perfumed there- 
with." 

13. I subjoin to the above an extract of a letter which 
I wrote to Mr. Wesley in the year 1786, concerning the 
character of Mr. Fletcher, and which was published in 
the former edition of his Life. For although, as Mr. 
Wesley observed, most of the particulars thereof are 
contained in the preceding pages, yet as they are here 
placed in another order, and have also several new cir- 
cumstances intermixed, it is hoped they will be both 
agreeable and profitable to every person of piety. 

As to drawing the character of that great and good 
man, as I then observed, it is what I will not attempt : 
but if I can suggest any thing that will assist the reader 
to form a proper idea of, and excite him to imitate his 
excellences, I shall think my little labour well bestowed. 
With this view I have looked over most of his letters, 
and observe in them all, what I have a thousand times 
observed in his conversation and behaviour, the plainest 
marks of every Christian grace and virtue. 

Perhaps if he followed his Master more closely in one 
thing than another, it was in poverty of spirit. It is one 
branch of this to think meanly of ourselves. And he 
certainly thought thus of himself in every respect ; as a 
Christian-, as a preacher, and as a writer. I need not 
say how he shone in all those characters ; but he knew 
not that he shone in any of them. How low an opinion 
he had of himself manifestly appears from his placing 
himself at the feet of all, and showing a continual desire 
to learn from every company he was in. He paid all 
due deference to the judgment of others, readily acknow- 
)edged whatever was good in them, and seemed to think 
himself the only person in whom there dwelt no excel- 
lence worth notice. Hence it was, that he often wrote 
and spoke, as we have seen in many parts of these 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



335 



memoirs, as if he had not received that grace which he 
undoubtedly had received. Indeed, he overlooked what 
he had attained, through the eager desire he had of 
higher and greater things ; and, as many of his letters 
show, thought very meanly of his own attainments, 
through the continually increasing views which he had 
of the Divine purity, and of the high degree of con- 
formity thereto, which is attainable even in this world. 

14. As difficult as it is to think meanly of ourselves, 
it is still more difficult to be willing that others should 
think meanly of us. And how eminent he was in this 
respect appears from hence, that he was constantly upon 
his guard, lest any expression should drop, either from 
his lips or pen, which might tend to make any one think 
well of him, either on account of his family, or learning, 
or parts, or usefulness. Yea, he took as much pains to 
conceal his excellences as others do to show theirs ; 
having the same desire to be little and unknown, which 
many have to be known and esteemed. 

15. Blessed are they that mourn, said the Lord Jesus. 
And this blessedness was as certainly his as that just 
mentioned. He was a man of a serious spirit, one that 
stood at the utmost distance from levity of every kind. 
Though he was constantly cheerful, as rejoicing in hope 
of the heavenly inheritance, yet had he too deep a sense 
of his own wants and the wants of the Church of God, as 
also of the sins and miseries of mankind, to be at any time 
light or trifling. I have a letter before me, (dated De- 
cember, 1771,) w T hich at once gives us a picture of his 
seriousness, watchfulness, and earnestness ; and contains 
advices well deserving the consideration of all that fear 
God : — " There is undoubtedly," said he, " such a thing 
as the full assurance of faith. Be not discouraged on 
account of thousands who stop short of it : it is our own 
fault if we do not attain it. God would give us ample 
satisfaction if we did but deeply feel our wants. Both 
you and I want a deeper awakening, which will produce 
a death to outward things and speculative knowledge. 
Let us shut our eyes to the gilded clouds without us : let 
us draw inward, and search after God, if haply we may 
find him. Let us hold fast our confidence, though we 
are often constrained against hope, to believe in hope. 
But let U3 not rest in our confidence, as thousands do : 



336 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



let it help us to struggle and wait till he come. Let us 
habituate ourselves to live inwardly. This will solem- 
nize us, and prevent our trifling with the things of God. 
We may be thankful for what we have, without resting 
in it. We may strive, and yet not trust in our striving, 
but expect all from Divine grace." 

16. In these words Mr. Fletcher gives us not only an 
example of holy mourning, but likewise of hungering 
and thirsting after righteousness. In this he was 
peculiarly worthy of our imitation. He never rested m 
any thing he had either experienced or done in spiritua\ 
matters. But this one thing he did : forgetting those 
things that were behind, and reaching forth unto those 
things which were before, he pressed toward the mark 
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ 
Jesus: he was a true Christian racer, always on the 
stretch for higher and better things. Though his attain- 
ments, both in experience and usefulness, were above the 
common standard, yet the language of his conversation 
and behaviour always was, Not as though I had already 
attained, either were already perfect ; but I follow 
after, if by any means I may apprehend that for which 
I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. He had his eye 
upon a full conformity to the Son of God ; or what the 
apostle terms the measure of the stature of the fulness 
of Christ. Nor could he be satisfied with any thing 
less. 

17. And he was meek, like his Master, as well as lowly 
in heart. Not that he was so by nature ; but a man of 
strong passions, and prone to anger -in particular : inso- 
much that he has frequently thrown himself on the floor, 
and lain there most of the night, bathed in tears, implor- 
ing victory over his own spirit. And he did not strive 
in vain : he did obtain the victory in a very eminent de- 
gree. Yea, so thoroughly had grace subdued nature ; 
so fully was he renewed in the spirit of his mind, that 
for many years before his death, I believe, he was never 
observed by any one, friend or foe, to be out of temper, 
nor heard to utter a rash expression, on any provocation 
whatever ; and provocation he sometimes met with, and 
that in a high degree ; especially from those whose reli- 
gious sentiments he thought it his duty to oppose. I 
have often thought the testimony that Bishop Burnet 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



337 



(in the History of his own Times) bears of Arch- 
bishop Leighton, might be borne of him with equal pro- 
priety. " After an intimate acquaintance with the arch- 
bishop for many years, and after being with him by 
night and by day, at home and abroad, in public and in 
private, on sundry occasions and in various affairs: I 
must say I never heard an idle word drop from his lips, 
nor any conversation which was not to the use of edify- 
ing. I never saw him in any temper in which I myself 
would not have wished to be found at death." Any one 
that has been intimately acquainted with Mr. Fletcher 
will say the same of him. But they that knew him best 
will say it with the most assurance. 

18. Hence arose his readiness to bear with the weak- 
nesses, and forgive the faults of others ; which was the 
more remarkable, considering his flaming zeal against 
sin, and deep concern for the glory of God. Such hatred 
to sin, and such love to the sinner, i never saw joined 
together before. This circumstance, above others, con- 
vinced me of the height of his grace, perceiving that he 
bore so much of his Master's image, whose hatred to sin 
and love to sinners are equally infinite. He took all 
possible pains to detect what was evil in any of those 
that were under his care ; pursuing it through all its 
turnings and windings, and stripping it of all its dis- 
guises. Yet none were so ready to excuse it when it 
was confessed, and to conceal it even from his most inti- 
mate friends. 

He never mentioned the faults of an absent person 
unless absolute duty required it. And then he spoke 
with the utmost tenderness, extenuating, rather than 
aggravating them. None could draw his picture more 
exactly than St. Paul has done, in the thirteenth chapter 
of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. Every feature 
in that masterly piece of apostolic painting was found 
in him. Let all that knew him, especially his intimate 
friends, recollect the spirit and behaviour of this servant 
of the God of love ; and then let them judge whether I 
exaggerate when I say he suffered long- and was kind :i 
he envied not : acted not rashly : was not puffed up : 
did not behave himself unseemly : sought not his own : 
was not provoked. He thought no evil, rejoiced not in 
iniquity, but rejoiced in the truth. He covered all 

43 



338 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



things, believed all things, hoped all things, and endured 
all things. It would be easy to enlarge on all these 
particulars, and show how they were exempluied in 
him. 

19. But waiving this, I would only observe that, with 
regard to two of them, kindness to others, and not seek' 
ing his own, he had few equals. His kindness to others 
w r as such, that he bestowed his all upon them : his time, 
his talents, his substance. His knowledge, his elo- 
quence, his health, his money were employed day by 
day for the good of mankind. He prayed, he wrote, he 
preached, he visited the sick and well : he conversed, 
he gave, he laboured, he suffered, winter and summer, 
night and day : he endangered, nay, destroyed his health, 
and in the end gave his life also for the profit of his 
neighbours, that they might be saved from everlasting 
death. He denied himself even such food as was neces- 
sary for him, that he might have to give them that had 
none. And when he was constrained to change his 
manner of living, still his diet was plain and simple. 
And so were his clothing and furniture, that he might 
save all that w T as possible for his poor neighbours. 

He sought not his own in any sense : not his own 
honour, but the honour of God, in all he said or did : he 
sought not his own interest, but the interest of his Lord, 
spreading knowledge, holiness, and happiness, as far as 
he possibly could. He sought not his own pleasure, but 
studied to please all men for their good to edification : 
and to please Him that had called him to his kingdom 
and glory. And yet it is certain he found the greatest 
pleasure in pleasing God and his neighbour. For no- 
thing could give a higher delight than this to his pious 
and benevolent mind. 

20. In the meantime he was a man of peace, and 
spared no pains to restore it where it was broken. He 
gave numberless proofs of this amiable disposition. 
When we were at Trevecka, (to mention but one in- 
stance,) two of the students were bitterly prejudiced 
against each other. He took them into a room by 
themselves, reasoned with them, wept over them, and 
at last prevailed. Their hearts were broken : they were 
melted down : they fell upon each other's neck and 
wept aloud. 



LIFE OF REV. 



J. 



FLETCHER. 



339 



The pairs which he took to make peace at the Leeds 
conference, in 1784, will not easily be forgotten. And 
although he could not prevail so far as might have been 
desired, yet his labour was not in vain. 

But I do not attempt to draw his full character. I 
will only add, what the apostle recommends to the Phi- 
lippians was exactly copied by him. He was blameless 
and harmless, a son of God, without rebuke, in the midst 
of a crooked and perverse generation ; shining among 
them as a light in the world. 

21. To the above, Mr. Wesley adds: — "I think one 
talent wherewith God had endued Mr. Fletcher has not 
been sufficiently noted yet. I mean his courtesy : in 
which there was not the least touch either of art or 
affectation. It was pure and genuine, and sweetly con- 
strained him to behave to every one (although particu- 
larly to inferiors) in a manner not to be described : with 
so inexpressible a mixture of humility, love, and respect. 
This directed his words, the tone of his voice, his looks, 
his whole attitude, his every motion. This seems to be 
intended by St. Paul, in those words, Ovk uoxvpovel. Not 
so well expressed in our translation by behaveth not it- 
self unseemly. Do not the words literally mean, Is not 
ill-bred ? Behaves on all occasions with decency and 
good breeding ? Certainly so did Mr. Fletcher. Never 
did any man more perfectly suit his whole behaviour 
to the persons and the occasion. So that one might 
apply to him, with great propriety, the words of the 
ancient poet : — 

1 Ilium, quicquid agit, quoquo vestigia tendit 
Componit furtim subsequiturq ; decor.' 

I cannot translate this : but I can give the English reader 
a parallel, and more than a parallel. 

■ Grace was in all his steps, heaven in his eye, 
In all his gestures sanctity and love.' " 



340 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



CHAPTER XII. 
His death. 

1. 64 Some weeks before he was taken ill, (says Mrs* 
Fletcher,) he mentioned to me a peculiar manifestation 
of love which he received in his own house, with the 
application of those words, Thou shalt walk vjith me in 
white. He added, It is a little thing so to hang upon 
God by faith as to feel no departure from him, and no 
rising in the heart against him. This does not satisfy 
me. And I sometimes find such gleams of light and 
love, such wafts, as it were, of the heavenly air, so 
powerful, as if they would just then take my soul with 
them to glory ! But / am not filled. I want to be filled 
with all the fulness of God. In conformity to these 
sentiments, when he was in his last illness he expressed 
himself thus : — ' I am filled, most sweetly filled.' This 
conveyed much to my mind, as I understood by it the 
accomplishment of his large desires. 

2. " Some time before the beginning of his last sick- 
ness he was peculiarly penetrated with a sense of the 
nearness of eternity. There was scarce an hour in 
which he was not calling upon us to drop every thought 
and every care, that we might attend to nothing but the 
drinking deeper into God. We spent much time in 
wrestling with God, and were led in a peculiar manner 
to abandon our whole selves, our souls and bodies, into 
the hands of God ; ready to do, and willing to suffer 
whatever was well pleasing to him. 

" And now the time drew near when his faith was to 
be called to its last grand exercise. A little before this, 
being on his knees in prayer for light, whether he should 
go to London or not, the answer to him seemed to be, 
f Not to London, but to thy grave.' When he acquainted 
me with this, he said, with a heavenly smile, 6 Satan 
would represent it to me as something dreadful, enforcing 
those words, The cold grave ! The cold grave /' On 
the Sunday following, (I think it was the next day,) that 
anthem was sung in church, The Lord is my shepherd, 
therefore can I lack nothing. He shall feed me in 
green pastures, and lead me forth beside the waters of 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



341 



comfort. He shall convert my soul, and bring me forth 
in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
of death I shall fear no evil ; for thou art with me ; 
thy rod and staff shall comfort me. Thou shalt pre- 
pare a table before me against them that trouble me. 
Thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall 
be full. 

" In his return home he observed in how uncommon 
a degree these words had been blessed to his soul. And 
from that very time I do not remember to have seen 
in him any, the least marks of temptation. He showed 
an unusual cheerfulness and liveliness in every part of 
his work, and seemed to increase in strength of body, as 
well as in strength of soul. Truly it was to him ac- 
cording to his faith. He feared no evil, and his cup 
was filled with righteousness, and peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost. 

" On Thursday, August 4th, he was employed in the 
work of God from three in the afternoon till nine at 
night. When he came home he said, ' I have taken 
cold ;' but seemed not to regard it. He was far from 
well on Friday and Saturday ; but was uncommonly 
drawn out in prayer. On Saturday night he was abun- 
dantly worse, and his fever appeared very strong. I 
begged that he would by no means think of going to 
church in the morning. But he told me it was the 
will of the Lord ; in which case I never dared to 
persuade." 

3. " The Rev. Mr. Gilpin" as he has informed us, 
" called upon him in the morning, with an earnest re- 
quest that he would permit him, if not to take the whole 
of his duty on that day, at least to share it with him. 
But this he would by no means be prevailed upon to 
suffer, assuring, him with an air of holy confidence, that 
God would sufficiently strengthen him to go through 
the duties of the day. This was his last appearance in 
public ; and several who were present upon this memo- 
rable occasion were affected, beyond all description, with 
the melancholy circumstances of the day. He opened 
the reading service with apparent strength ; but before 
he had proceeded far in it, his countenance changed, his 
speech began*to falter, and it was with the utmost din> 



342 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



culty that he could keep himself from fainting. Every 
eye was riveted upon him, deep solicitude was painted 
on every face, and confused murmurs of distress ran 
through the whole congregation. In the midst of this 
affecting scene, Mrs. Fletcher was seen pressing through 
the crowd, and earnestly entreating her dying husband 
no longer to attempt what appeared to be utterly im- 
practicable. But he, as though conscious that he was 
engaged in his last public work, mildly refused to be 
entreated ; and struggling against an almost insupport- 
able languor, constrained himself to continue the ser- 
vice. The windows being opened, he appeared to be a 
little refreshed, and began to preach with a strength and 
recollection that surprised all present. In the course 
of his sermon the idea of his weakness was almost lost 
in the freedom and energy with which he delivered him- 
self. Mercy was the subject of his discourse ; and while 
he expatiated on this glorious attribute of the Deity, its 
unsearchable extent, its eternal duration, and its asto- 
nishing effects, he appeared to be carried above all the 
fears and feelings of mortality. There was something 
in his appearance and manner that gave his word an 
irresistible influence upon this solemn occasion. An 
awful concern was awakened through the whole assem- 
bly, and every one's heart was uncommonly moved. 
Upon the hearts of his friends, in particular, a most 
affecting impression was made at this season ; and what 
deepened that impression was the sad presentiment, 
which they read in each other's countenance, of their 
pastor's approaching dissolution. 

"After sermon he walked up to the communion table, 
uttering these words : — 6 1 am going to throw myself 
under the wings of the cherubim, before the mercy seat.' 
Here the same distressing scene was renewed with addi- 
tional solemnity. The people were deeply affected while 
they beheld him offering up the last languid remains of 
a life that had been lavishly spent in their service. 
Groans and tears were on every side. In going through 
this last part of his duty, he was exhausted again and 
again ; but his spiritual vigour triumphed over his bodily 
weakness. After several times sinking on the sacra- 
mental table, he still resumed his sacred work, and 
cheerfully distributed, with his dying ♦land, the love 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



343 



memorials of his dying Lord. In the course of this 
concluding office, which he performed by means of the 
most astonishing exertions, he gave out several verses 
of hymns, and delivered many affectionate exhortations 
to his people, calling upon them, at intervals, to cele- 
brate the mercy of God in short songs of adoration and 
praise. And now, having struggled through a*service 
of near four hours' continuance, he was supported with 
blessings in his mouth, from the altar to his chamber; 
where he lay for some time in a swoon, and from whence 
he never walked into the world again.'' 

i; After this," proceeds Mrs. Fletcher, " he dropped 
into a sleep for some time, and, on waking, cried out 
with a pleasant smile, ' Now, my dear, thou seest I am 
no worse for doing the Lord's work. He never fails 
me when I trust in him.' Having eaten a little dinner, 
he dosed most of the evening, now and then waking up 
with the praises of God in his mouth. At night his 
fever returned, but it was not violent ; and yet his 
strength decreased amazingly. On Monday and Tues- 
day we had a little paradise together. He lay on a 
couch in the study : and, though often changing posture, 
was sweetly pleasant, and frequently slept a good while 
together. When he was awake, he delighted in hear- 
ing me read hymns and treatises on faith and love. 
His words were all animating, and his patience beyond 
expression. When he had a very nauseous medicine 
to take, he seemed to enjoy the cross, according to a 
word which he was used often to repeat, 4 We are to 
seek a perfect conformity to the will of God ; and 
leave him to give us pleasure or pain, as it seemeth him 
good.' 

i4 I asked him whether he had any directions to give 
me if he should be taken from me ? since I desired to 
form my whole life thereby. He replied, ' No, not by 
mine : the Holy Ghost shall direct thee. I have nothing 
particular to say.' I said, Have you any conviction that 
God is about to take you? He said, ' No ; only I always 
see death so inexpressibly near, that we both seem to 
stand on the verge of eternity.' While he slept a little, 
I besought the Lord, if it were his good pleasure, to 
spare him to me a little longer. But my prayer seemed 
10 have no winces : and I could not help mingling con- 



344 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



tinually therewith, Lord, give me perfect resignation ! 
This uncertainty made me tremble, lest God was going 
to put into my hands the bitter cup with which he 
threatened my husband. Some weeks before, I myself 
was ill of a fever, and not without danger. My husband 
then felt the whole parting scene, and struggled for a 
perfecf resignation. He said, 6 O Polly, shall I ever 
see the day when thou must be carried out to bury ! 
How will the little things which thy tender care has 
prepared for me, in every part of the house, wound and 
distress me ! How is it? I think I feel jealousy ! I am 
jealous of the worms ! I seem to shrink at the thought 
of giving my dear Polly to the worms.' 

4. " Now all these reflections returned upon my heart 
with the weight of a millstone. I cried to the Lord, and 
these words were deeply impressed on my spirit, Where 
I am, there shall my servants be, that they may behold 
my glory. This promise was full of comfort to my 
soul. I saw that in Christ's immediate presence was our 
home, and that we should have our reunion in being 
deeply centred in him. I received it as a fresh marriage 
for eternity ; as such I trust for ever to hold it. All 
that day, whenever I thought of the expression, to be- 
hold my glory, it seemed to wipe away every tear, and 
was as the ring whereby we were joined anew. 

" Awaking some time after, he said, 6 Polly, I have 
been thinking it was Israel's fault that they asked for 
signs. We will not do so : but abandoning our whole 
selves to the will of God, will lie patiently before him ; 
assured that he will do all things well." 

" My dear love, said I, if I have ever done or said any 
thing to grieve thee, how will the remembrance wound 
my heart, if thou shouldst be taken from me ! He en- 
treated me with inexpressible tenderness, not to allow 
the thought, declaring his thankfulness for our union, in 
a variety of words written on my heart with the adaman- 
tine pen of friendship deeply dipped in blood. 

" On Wednesday, he told me he had received such a 
manifestation of the full meaning of those words, God 
is love, as he could never be able to express. 4 It fills 
my heart,' said he, ' every moment : O Polly, my dear 
Polly, God is love ! Shout! shout aloud! I want a gust 
of praise to go to the ends of the earth ! But it seems as 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



345 



if I could not speak much longer. Let us fix on a sign 
between ourselves.' 'Now,' said he, tapping me twice 
with his finger, 4 1 mean, God is love. And we will 
draw each other into God. Observe ! By this we will 
draw each other into God.' 

" Sally coming in, he cried out, 8 O Sally, God is love ! 
Shout, both of you ! I want to hear you shout his praise !' 
All this time the medical friend, who attended him dili- 
gently, hoped he was in no danger : as he had no head- 
ache, but much sleep, without the least delirium, and an 
almost regular pulse. So was the disease, though com- 
missioned to take his life, restrained by the power of God. 

" On Thursday his speech began to fail. While he 
was able, he spoke to all that came in his way. Hear- 
ing that a stranger was in the house, he ordered her to 
be called up. But the uttering only two sentences made 
him ready to faint away. And, while he had any power 
of speech, he would not be silent to his friendly doctor. 
' O, sir, said he, you take much thought for my body : 
permit me to take thought for your soul !' When I 
could scarce understand any thing he said, I spoke these 
words, God is love. Instantly, as if all his powers were 
awakened, he broke out in a rapture, ' God is love! 
love ! love ! O for that gust of praise ! I want to sound V 

Here his voice again failed. All this time he was 

much in pain, and suffered many ways : but still with 
such unutterable patience as none but those who were 
present can conceive. If I did but name his sufferings, 
he would smile and make the sign. 

"On Friday, observing his body covered with spots, 
I felt a sword pierce through my soul. As I was kneel- 
ing by his side, with my hand in his, entreating the Lord 
to be with us in this tremendous hour, he strove to say 
many things, but could not articulate the words. All 
he could do was to press my hand, and frequently repeat 
the sign. At last he breathed out, 6 Head of the Church, 
be head to my wife !' 

" When I was forced to leave him for a few moments, 
Sally said to him, 6 My dear master, do you know me V 
He replied, 4 God will put his right hand under you. 
She added, £ O my dear master, should you be taken 
away, what a disconsolate creature will my poor, dear 
mistress be !' He replied, ' God will be her all in all.' 



346 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



" He always took a peculiar pleasure in repeating 01 
hearing those words, 

'Jesus' blood through earth and skies, 
Mercy, free, boundless mercy cries.' 

Whenever I repeated them to him he would answer 
6 Boundless ! boundless ! boundless !' He now added 
though not without much difficulty, 

1 Mercy's full power I soon shall prove, 
Loved with an everlasting love.' 

" On Saturday, in the afternoon, his fever seemed 
quite off, and a few friends standing near his bed, he 
reached his hand to each : and, looking on a minister, 
said, 'Are you ready to assist to-morrow V His recol- 
lection surprised us, as the day of the week had not been 
named in the room. Many were of opinion he would 
recover ; and one of them said to him, 4 Do you think 
the Lord will raise you up V He strove to answer, and 

could just pronounce, 'Raise me up in the resur' 

meaning in the resurrection. To another, who asked 
the same question, he said, 4 1 leave it all to God.' 

44 In the evening the fever came again, and with 
greater violence than ever. The mucus then falling on 
his throat, almost strangled him. It was supposed the 
same painful symptom would grow more and more vio- 
lent to the last. As I felt this exquisitely, I cried to the 
Lord to remove it. And, glory be to his name, he did ! 
From that time it returned no more. 

44 As night drew r on, I perceived him dying very fast. 
His ringers could hardly make the sign, which he scarce 
ever forgot: and his speech seemed quite gone. I said, 
My dear creature, I ask not for myself : I know thy soul : 
but, for the sake of others, if Jesus be very present with 
thee, lift up thy right hand. Immediately he rlicL If 
the prospect of glory sweetly open before thee, repeat 
the sign. He instantly raised it again, and in half a 
minute, a second time. He then threw it up. as if he 
would reach the top of the bed. After this, his hands 
moved no more. But on my saying, Art thou in pain? 
He answered, 4 No.' From this time he lay in a kind 
of sleep, though with his eyes open and fixed. For the, 
most part he sat upright against pillows, with his head a 
little inclining to one side. And so remarkably composed, 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



34? 



yea, triumphant was his countenance, that the least trace 
of death was scarcely discernible in it. Eighteen hours 
he was in this situation, breathing like a person in com- 
mon sleep. About thirty-five minutes past ten, on Sun- 
day night, August 14, his precious soul entered into the 
joy of his Lord, without one struggle or groan, in the 
fifty-sixth year of his age. 

44 And here I break off my mournful story ; but on my 
bleeding heart the fair picture of his heavenly excel- 
lences will be for ever drawn." 

5. The reader will not think me tedious, if I subjoin 
here the account which the Rev. Mr. Gilpin has given of 
this last scene of the life of this incomparable man : — 
44 After having manifested so much resolution and con 
stancy in fighting the good fight of faith, it is no wonder 
that Mr. Fletcher was permitted to finish his course with 
joy, and that the concluding scenes of his warfare were 
peculiarly triumphant and glorious. Equally prepared 
for every event, he met his last great trial with all that 
composure and steadiness which had invariably distin- 
guished him upon every former occasion of suffering. 
He entered the valley of the shadow of death, as one 
who feared no evil. He considered it as the high road 
to that incorruptible inheritance which is reserved for 
the saints : and, looking forward with a hope full of im- 
mortality, he saw, beyond its limited gloom, those ever- 
lasting hills of light and glory to which his soul aspired. 

44 A few days before his dissolution he appeared to 
have reached that desirable point where the last rap- 
turous discoveries are made to the souls of dying saints. 
Roused, as it were, with the shouts of angels, and kin- 
dled into rapture with visions of glory, he broke into a 
song of holy triumph, which began and ended with the 
praises of God's unfathomable love. He laboured to 
declare the secret manifestations he enjoyed ; but his 
sensations were too powerful for utterance, and, after 
looking inexpressible things, he contented himself with 
calling upon all around him to celebrate and shout out 
that adorable love, which can never be fully compre- 
hended or adequately expressed. This triumphant 
frame of mind was not a transient feeling, but a state 
that he continued to enjoy, with little or no discernible 
interruption, to the moment of his death. While he 



34^ 



LIFE OF REV, J. FLETCHER. 



possessed the power of speech, he spake as one wnose 
lips had been touched with a lire coal from the altar ; 
and when deprived of that power, his countenance dis- 
covered that he was sweetly engaged in the contempla- 
tion of eternal things. 

•• On the day of his departure, as I was preparing to 
attend my own church, which was at the distance of nine 
miles from Madeley, I received a hasty message from 
Mrs. Fletcher, requesting my immediate attendance at 
the vicarage. I instantly followed the messenger, and 
found Mr. Fletcher with every symptom of approaching 
dissolution upon him. I had ever looked upon this man 
of God with an extraordinary degree of affection and 
reverence ; and on this afflicting occasion my heart was 
uncommonly affected and depressed. It was now in vain 
to recollect that public duty required my presence in 
another place : unfitted for every duty except that of 
silently watching the bed of death, I found it impossible 
to withdraw from the solemn scene to which I had been 
summoned. I had received from this evangelical teacher, 
in days that were past, many excellent precepts with re- 
spect to holy living ; and now I desired to receive from 
him the important lesson with respect to holy dying. 
And truly this concluding lesson was of inestimable 
worth, since so much patience and resignation, so much 
peace and composure, were scarcely ever discovered in 
the same circumstances before. Let me die the death 
of the righteous, and let my last end be like his ! 

"While their pastor was breathing out his soul into 
the hands of a faithful Creator, his people were offerinor 
up their joint supplications on his behalf in the house of 
God. Little, however, was seen among them on that 
trying occasion, but affliction and tears. Indeed, it was 
a day much to be remembered for the many affecting 
testimonies of distress which appeared on every side. 
The whole village wore an air of consternation and sad- 
ness, and not one joyful song was heard among all its 
inhabitants. Hasty messengers were passing to and 
fro with anxious inquiries and confused reports : and the 
members of every family sat together in silence that day, 
awaiting, with trembling expectation, the is-ue of every 
hour. After the conclusion of the evening service, 
several of the poor, who came from distant parts, and 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



349 



who were usually entertained under Mr. Fletcher's roof, 
still lingered about the house, and seemed unable to tear 
themselves away from the place, without a sight of their 
expiring pastor. Secretly informed of their desire, I 
obtained them the permission they wished. And the 
door of the chamber being set open, immediately before 
which Mr. Fletcher was sitting upright in his bed, with 
the curtains undrawn, unaltered in his usual venerable 
appearance, they slowly moved one by one along the 
gallery, severally pausing as they passed by the door, 
and casting in a look of mingled supplication and an- 
guish. It was, indeed, an affecting sight, to behold 
these unfeigned mourners successively presenting them- 
selves before the bed of their dying benefactor, with an 
inexpressible eagerness in their looks, and then dragging 
themselves away from his presence with a distressing 
consciousness that they should see his face no more. 

" And now the hour speedily approached that was to 
put a solemn termination to our hopes and fears. His 
weakness very perceptibly increased, but his counte- 
nance continued unaltered to the last. If there was any 
visible change in his feelings, he appeared more at ease 
and more sweetly composed, as the moment of his dis- 
mission drew near. Our eyes were riveted upon him in 
awful expectation. But, whatever he had felt before, no 
murmuring thought was suffered, at this interesting 
period, to darken the glories of so illustrious a scene. 
All was silence, when the last angelic minister suddenly 
arrived, and performed his important commission with 
so much stillness and secrecy that it was impossible to 
determine the exact moment of its completion. Mrs. 
Fletcher was kneeling by the side of her departing hus- 
baud ; one who had attended him with uncommon assi- 
duity during the last stages of his distemper sat at his 
head ; while I sorrowfully waited near his feet. Uncer- 
tain whether or not he was totally separated from us, we 
pressed nearer, and hung over his bed in the attitude of 
listening attention. His lips had ceased to move, and 
his head was gently sinking upon his bosom: we 
stretched out our hands ; but his warfare was accom- 
plished, and the happy spirit had taken its everlasting 
flight. 

"Such was the undisturbed and triumphant death of 



350 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



this eminently holy and laborious pastor, who entered 
into rest on the evening of Sunday, August 14, 1785. 
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord ! They rest 
from their painful labours, and are followed by those 
exemplary works which they considered as unworthy a 
place in their remembrance : they escape from the windy 
storm and tempest, and are brought to their desired 
haven : they have a right to the tree of life, they enter 
in through the gates into the city, and stand with ever- 
lasting acceptance in the presence of God. 

" This afflicting providence is severely felt by the sur- 
vivor, who has lost, at this separating stroke, whatevei 
she had counted most valuable on this side eternity. 
But, while she feels all the anguish of an immediate 
separation from her dearest friend, she looks forward 
with a joyful hope of being one day united to his happy 
spirit, where the pangs of parting can be known no more. 
Mrs. Fletcher was surrounded, upon this sad occasion, 
by a multitude of sincere mourners, who, while they 
deplored the loss of their inestimable pastor, recollected, 
with peculiar satisfaction, that the last years of his life 
had been years of abundant consolation and peace: — 
and who now rejoice that, in his removal from among 
them, he left behind him a lively representative of him- 
self, one who enters into his labours and watches over 
his flock, a support to the needy, a guide to the ignorant, 
and a mother in Israel" 

6. So far Mr. Gilpin. Mrs. Fletcher adds : — " When 
I call to mind his ardent zeal, his laborious endeavours 
to seek and save the lost, his diligence in the employ- 
ment of his time, his Christlike condescension toward 
me, and his uninterrupted converse with Heaven ; I may 
well be allowed to add, My loss is beyond the power of 
words to paint. I have often gone through deep waters ; 
but all my afflictions were nothing to this. Well : I 
want no pleasant prospect but upward ; nor any thing 
whereon to fix my hope, but immortality. 

" From the time I have had the happiness and honour 
of being with him, every day more and more convinced 
me he was the Christian. I saw, I loved, in him, the 
image of my Saviour, and thought myself the happiest 
of women in the possession of the most sympathizing 
and heavenly friend. My sorrow bears a due propor 



LIFE OF RE V. J. FLETCHER. 



351 



tion. But it is alleviated by that thought, United 
in God we cannot he divided. No : we are of one 
household still : we are joined in Him, as our centre, 
of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. 
It is said of New Testament believers, they are come to 
the spirits of just men made perfect : to the glorious 
privilege of communion with the Church triumphant. 
But this is far more apparent to the eyes of celestial 
spirits than to ours, which are yet veiled with flesh and 
blood. Yet as there is joy in heaven over one sinner 
that repenteth, and as the prayers of saints still on earth 
are represented by incense in the hands of the elders, I 
can only consider departed spirits, and ministering 
angels, as one innumerable company, continually sur- 
rounding us. And are they not as nearly united to their 
fellow soldiers now as when they were in the body? 
What should hinder ? Gratitude and affection are natives 
of heaven, and live for ever there. Forgetfulness is a 
property of mortality, and drops off with the body. 
Therefore they that loved us in the Lord will surely 
love us for ever : can any thing material interrupt the 
sight or presence of a spirit ? Nay, 

' Walls within walls no more the passage bar, 
Than unopposing space of liquid air.' 

7. " On the 17th his remains were deposited in Made- 
ley church yard, amid the tears and lamentations of 
thousands. The service was performed by the Rev. 
Mr. Hatton, rector of Waters-Upton, whom God enabled 
to pay a public tribute of respect to the memory of this 
great man, in a funeral sermon from Hebrews xiii, 7, and 
to speak in a pathetic manner to the weeping flock. In 
the conclusion, at my request, he read the following 
paper : — 

" As it was the desire of my beloved husband to be 
buried in this plain manner, so, out of tenderness, he 
begged that I might not be present. And in every thing 
I would obey him. 

" Permit me, then, by the mouth of a friend, to bear 
an open testimony to the glory of God, that I, who have 
known him in the most perfect manner, am constrained 
to declare that I never knew any one walk so closely in 
he wavs of God as he did. The Lord gave him a con- 



352 



LIFE OF REV. J, FLETCHER. 



science tender as the apple of an eye. And he literally 
preferred the interest of every one to his own. 

" He was rigidly just, and perfectly loose from attach- 
ment to the world. He shared his all with the poor, 
who lay so close to his heart that, at the approach 
of death, when he could not speak without difficulty, 
he cried out, 4 O my poor ! What shall become of my 
poor P He was blessed with so great a degree of hu« 
mility as is scarce to be found. I am witness how 
often he has rejoiced in being treated with contempt. 
Indeed, it seemed the very food of his soul to be little 
and unknown, 

" His zeal for souls I need not tell you. Let the la- 
bours of twenty-five years, and a martyr's death in the 
conclusion, imprint it on your hearts. His diligent visit- 
ing of the sick occasioned the fever which, by God's 
commission, tore him from you and me. And his vehe- 
ment desire to take his last leave of you with dying lips 
and hands, gave (it is supposed) the finishing stroke, by 
preparing his blood for putrefaction. Thus has he lived 
and died your servant. And will any of you refuse to 
meet him at God's right hand in that day ? 

" He walked with death always in his sight. About 
two months ago he came to me and said, 4 My dear love, 
I know not how it is, but I have a strange impression 
death is near us, as if it were to be some sudden stroke 
upon one of its. And it draws out all my soul in prayer 
that we may be ready.' He then broke out, 4 Lord, 
prepare the soul thou wilt call ! And O stand by the 
poor disconsolate one that shall be left behind !' 

44 A few days before his departure he was filled with 
love in an uncommon manner. The same he testified as 
long as he had a voice, and continued to the end, by a 
most lamblike patience, in which he smiled over death, 
and set his last seal to the glorious truths he had so long 
preached among you. 

44 Three years, nine months, and two days, I have pos- 
sessed my heavenly minded husband. But now the sun 
of my earthly joys is set for ever, and my soul filled with 
an anguish which only finds its consolation in a total 
resignation to the will of God. When I was asking the 
Lord, if he pleased, to spare him to me a little longer, 
the fo lowing promise was impressed on my mind, Where 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



353 



I am, there shall my servants be, that they may behold 
my glory. Lord, hasten the time." 

8. " There is little need," says Mr. Wesley, " of add- 
ing any farther character of this man of God to the fore- 
going account, given by one who wrote out of the fulness 
of her heart. I would only observe that, for many years, 
I despaired of finding an inhabitant of Great Britain that 
could stand in any degree of comparison with Gregory 
Lopez or Mon. de Renty. But let any impartial per- 
son judge, if Mr. Fletcher were at all inferior to them ? 
Did he not experience as deep communion with God, 
and as high a measure of inward holiness, as was expe- 
rienced by either one or the other of those burning and 
shining lights ? And it is certain his outward light shone 
before men with full as bright a lustre as theirs. I was 
intimately acquainted with him for thirty years. I con- 
versed with him morning, noon, and night, without the 
least reserve, during a journey of many hundred miles. 
And in all that time I never heard him speak an impro- 
per word, or saw him do an improper action. To con- 
clude : — Within fourscore years I have known many 
excellent men, holy in heart and life. But one equal 
to him I have not known ; one so uniformly and deeply 
devoted to God. So unblamable a man in every respect 
I have not found either in Europe or America. Nor do 
I expect to find another such on this side eternity. 

" Yet it is possible we may be such as he was. Let 
us then endeavour to follow him as he followed Christ." 

But some may inquire, Has not Mr. Wesley exceeded 
the truth in this testimony ? Has he not given a too 
favourable representation of the character of his friend, 
influenced, perhaps, by the similarity of their views 
respecting the great subject of general redemption, and 
other subjects connected therewith, and by the very 
prompt and able manner in which Mr. Fletcher stood 
forth in defence of these views when attacked by Mr. 
Wesley's opponents ? I shall answer these inquiries by 
presenting the reader with an exactly similar testimony, 
borne by an eminent minister of Christ, whose senti- 
ments, on these points of doctrine, were the reverse of 
those of Messrs. Wesley and Fletcher. This I shall do 
by inserting the following letter, which I received from 
a very pious and intelligent clergyman in May last, in 



354 



LIFE. OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



consequence of his having lately read the first edition 
of this work : — 

" My Dear Sir, — Had not my time been very fully 
employed since I had the pleasure of seeing you in Lon- 
don, I should before now have fulfilled my promise in 
sending you the character which the late Rev. Mr. Venn, 
vicar of Yelling, gave me of the truly apostolic Mr. 
Fletcher. The testimony of Mr. Venn is the more valu- 
able, as there were several points of doctrine in which 
he differed from Mr. Fletcher : and I believe he felt him- 
self a good deal interested in the support of several of 
those tenets which Mr. Fletcher publicly opposed. But 
difference of opinion on points respecting which good 
men probably never will be all agreed on earth, could 
not close the eyes of the great and good Mr. Venn 
against the extraordinary excellences of Mr. Fletcher, 
and therefore he spake of him with all the rapture and 
affection which pre-eminent graces will always excite 
in the breast of a true Christian. In the following nar- 
ration I believe you will have nearly the words of Mr. 
Venn, as I was much impressed with his account of Mr. 
Fletcher, and wrote down what I remembered of it at 
the close of the day on which I heard it. With an 
expression in his countenance I shall not soon forget, 
making mention of Mr. Fletcher, he exclaimed, ' Sir, he 
was a luminary ; a luminary did I say 1 He was a sun. 
I have known all the great men for these fifty years ; 
but I have known none like him. I was intimately ac- 
quainted with him, and was under the same roof with 
him once for six weeks ; during which time I never heard 
him say a single word which was not proper to be spoken, 
and which had not a tendency to " minister grace to the 
hearers." One time, meeting him when he was very 
ill of a hectic fever, which he had brought upon himself 
by his intense labour in the ministry, I said, "I am sorry 
to find you so ill." Mr. Fletcher answered with the 
greatest sweetness, " Sorry, sir ! Why are you sorry ? 
It is the chastisement of my heavenly Father, and I 
rejoice in it. I love the rod of my God, and rejoice 
therein, as an expression of his love and affection toward 
me." ' 

" Mr. Venn being here asked whether Mr. Fletcher 

might not have been imprudent in carrying his labours 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



355 



to such an excess, answered, ' His heart was in them, 
and he was carried on with an impetus which could not 
be resisted. He did not look on the work of the ministry 
as a mere duty, but it was his pleasure and delight. Tell 
a votary of pleasure that his course of life will impair his 
property and health, and finally ruin him : he will reply 
that he knows all this ; but he must go on ; for life 
would not be tolerable without his pleasures. Such was 
the ardour of Mr. Fletcher in the ministry of the Gospel. 
He could not be happy but when employed in his great 
work.' Something having escaped one in the company 
which seemed to bear hard upon a particular body of 
Christians, Mr. Venn gave a solemn caution against evil 
speaking in these words : — 6 Never did I hear Mr. 
Fletcher speak ill of any man. He would pray for those 
that walked disorderly, but he would not publish their 
faults.' 

" This I believe is the substance of what fell from Mr. 
Venn respecting the Rev. Mr. Fletcher, and the manner 
in which he spoke showed that his admiration of that 
great and good man was raised to the highest pitch. 
Indeed, Mr. Venn was a person peculiarly qualified to 
appreciate the value of Mr. Fletcher, as the ardour of 
his own zeal and devotion most nearly resembled that 
of Mr. Fletcher. He lived in very uncommon near- 
ness to God, and, as I have been informed, made a most 
triumphant entrance into the kingdom of glory. I am, 
my dear sir, yours affectionately, ." 

The following character of Mr. Fletcher appeared in 
the Shrewsbury Chronicle of August, 1785 : — 

"On the 14th instant departed this life, the Rev. John 
Fletcher, vicar of Madeley, in this county, to the inex- 
pressible grief and concern of his parishioners, and of 
all who had the happiness of knowing him. If we speak 
'of him as a man and a gentleman, he was possessed 
of every virtue and every accomplishment which adorns 
and dignifies human nature. If we attempt to speak of 
him as a minister of the Gospel, it will be extremely dif- 
ficult to give the world a just idea of this great character. 
His deep learning, his exalted piety, his never ceasing 
labours to discharge the important duty of his function, 
together with the abilities and good effect with which he 
discharged those duties, are best known, and will never 



356 



LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



be forgotten in that vineyard in which he laboured. His 
charity, his universal benevolence, his meekness, and 
exemplary goodness are scarcely equalled among the 
sons of men. Anxious to the last moment of his life to 
discharge the sacred duties of his office, he performed 
the service of the Church, and administered the holy 
sacrament to upward of two hundred communicants, the 
Sunday preceding his death, confiding in that almighty 
Power which had given him life, and resigning that life 
into the hands of Him who gave it, with that composure 
of mind, and those joyful hopes of a happy resurrec- 
tion, which ever accompany the last moments of the 
just*" 



EPITAPH OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



Here lies the body of 
The Rev, JOHN WILLIAM de la FLECHERE 
Vicar of Madeley, 
Who was born at Nyon, in Switzerland, 
September the 12th, 1729, 
And finished his course, August the 14th, 1785, 
In this village ; 
Where his unexampled labours 
Will long be remembered. 
He exercised his ministry for the space of 
Twenty-five years 
In this parish, 
With uncommon zeal and ability. 
Many believed his report, and became 
His joy and crown of rejoicing ; 
While others constrained him to take up 
The lamentation of the prophet, 
•All the day long have I stretched out my hands 
Unto a disobedient and gainsaying people : 
Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, 
And my work with my God," 
" He, being dead, yet speaketh." 



THE END. 



CONTENTS TO LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER. 



CHAPTER L Page 
Of Ms parentage and youth . . . . • • 11 

CHAPTER n. 

His conversion . . 2 

CHAPTER III. 

From his conversion to his taking orders, and entering upon 
the work of the ministry 32 

CHAPTER IV. 



Of his qualifications for, and faithfulness in, the work of the 
ministry, and of his labours at Madeley, and elsewhere . 56 

CHAPTER V. 

Of the excursions he made to different places ; his first visit 
to his native country, his office and usefulness at Trevecka, 
and of the steps whereby he was led to write on contro- 
versial subjects 119 

CHAPTER VI. 

Of his declining state of health, the progress of his disorder, 
and his behaviour under it, with an account of his other 
polemical writings, and the conclusion of the controversy 161 

CHAPTER VH. 

From his leaving Newington till his return from Switzer- 



land to Madeley 199 

CHAPTER VHI. 

Of his marriage . 268 

CHAPTER IX. 

From his marriage till the beginning of his last illness . 281 
CHAPTER X. 



His character, taken chiefly from the Rev. Mr. Gilpin's 



account • 297 

CHAPTER XL 

His character, by Mrs. Fletcher and others . 224 

CHAPTER Xn. 

His death . . - . . . . . . . . * 340 



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